Easter weekend is just a couple of weeks away and many people will be looking forward to tucking into some chocolate. It goes without saying that Easter eggs are a treat, rather than a healthy choice, but some might be looking to choose wisely in terms of calories.
The team at price-tracking website www.aletrtr.co.uk have analysed 76 Easter eggs on sale in large supermarkets around the UK, with the aim of highlighting those with the highest and lowest calorie counts per weight category. It said its research revealed that the average Easter egg portion size was 25g; while those in the under £3 range don’t state how many servings there are per pack, they typically sit around 100g, so presumably contain four servings, while both the £3 and £5 ranges typically feature six servings, and the £10 to £12 range offers between seven and 20 servings, with the average found to be 13.
Luxury range
Looking at the higher-end range of Easter eggs on offer, as they will naturally contain the most chocolate and therefore the most calories, research found the following 10 to be the most calorific Easter Eggs on supermarket shelves:
1. Cadbury Dairy Milk Ultimate Daim Easter Egg 542g – 2,918 calories
2. Cadbury Fingers Chocolate Egg 547g – 2,859 calories
3. Cadbury Dairy Milk Extra Large Easter Egg 515g – 2,784 calories
4. Cadbury Dairy Milk Ultimate Crunchie Bits Easter Egg 542g – 2,768 calories
5. Galaxy Enchanted Eggs Chocolate Giant Easter Egg 528g – 2,761 calories
6. Nestlé Yorkie Raisin & Biscuit Chocolate Egg 522g – 2,757 calories
7. Cadbury Mini Eggs Easter Egg 507g – 2,757 calories
8. Kit Kat Caramel Cookie Collision Easter Egg 556.2g – 2,711 calories
9. Cadbury White Chocolate Oreo 499g – 2,690 calories
10. Galaxy Cookie Crumble Easter Egg 500g – 2,652 calories
The Kinder Surprise Giant Egg 200g within this price point was the best for calories (1,276), followed by the Galaxy Caramel Chocolate Truffle Egg 296g (1,518) and Maltesers White Chocolate Egg with White Truffles 287g (1,530). Interestingly, while Cadbury dominated the most calorific Easter eggs for the £10 to £12 range, it offers some of the most calorie-friendly products in all other ranges.
£5 range
For the £5 range, the Twix Chocolate Egg 328g is the highest in calories (1,664), while the Wicked Kitchen Benny The Bunny 120g is the lowest (680).
£3 range
In the £3 range, the Mars Chocolate Egg 252g contains the most calories (1,250), compared to the Cadbury Twirl Orange Easter Egg 198g (918).
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Under £3 range
In the under £3 range, the Smarties Milk Chocolate Easter Egg 119g tops the list for highest calories (680), while the Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Nibbles Easter Egg happily takes the tail end of the list (507).
Range averages
The average Easter egg calories per price point (based on the calories of everything within the pack; the hollow egg and the additional chocolate-based treats) were found to be:
£10 to £12 – 2,280 calories
£5 – 1,301 calories
£3 – 1,096 calories
Under £3 – 550 calories
The average daily recommended intake of calories is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.
Andy Barr, co-founder of www.alertr.co.uk, said: “Easter is such a fun time of the year; no matter what age you are, we all love to give and receive Easter eggs or our own alternatives. The aim of this research isn’t to put people off eating an egg or two over Easter, but more to highlight what they’re likely to be eating and encourage them to eat sensibly and with moderation – there are more positives for doing this besides watching what you eat; it makes the Easter eggs last longer, so you can enjoy them for longer!”
