Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Climate Shocks Raise Chocolate Prices
Coverage from Euronews.com, The Guardian, and others
Articles
6
Latest Article
04/04
Active Days
20
Executive Summary
Climate-driven drought, heat and disease in cocoa regions are cutting supply and pushing chocolate prices sharply higher in the UK and Europe
- Human-caused climate change has intensified extreme weather in West Africa and cut cocoa output by up to 40 percent
- UK Easter chocolate prices have risen by about two-thirds in three years, with some products more than doubling
- EU chocolate prices rose 18 percent in 2025, the largest increase of any food item
- Heavy rain in 2023 fueled black pod disease, followed by drought and an extreme heatwave in 2024
- Cocoa shortages are affecting major producers in Cote dIvoire and Ghana, which supply about 60 percent of global cocoa
- Manufacturers have responded by shrinking products and replacing cocoa with cheaper fats like palm and shea oils
- Experts warn cocoa could become unavailable by 2050 if emissions keep rising
Quick Facts
- What: Climate shocks are cutting cocoa supply and raising prices
- Where: West Africa the UK and Europe
- Why: Drought heat and disease have damaged cocoa crops
- Who: Cocoa farmers manufacturers and consumers
- When: Over the past three years and into 2026
Coverage Timeline: 20 Days
Featured Article
Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit analysis attributes West Africa extreme weather to cocoa shortages and large UK and EU chocolate price increases during 2023 to 2025.
Additional Articles
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Facing climate driven cacao shortages and record cocoa prices in the 2020s, chocolate manufacturers in the US, Europe, and the UK have reformulated products and reduced cocoa content.
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Zero Carbon Analytics analysis for ECIU links UK and EU lamb price increases since 2022 to drought and heavy rainfall driven by climate extremes.
Chocolate prices in the United Kingdom are rising as West Africa cocoa harvest shortfalls tied to heat, disease, and rainfall shortages interact with energy and conflict disruptions.
In Q1 2026, cocoa and coffee futures rose amid drought, heat, and crop disease impacts in West Africa and Colombia, leading to higher consumer prices in Europe and the United States.
In 2024, West Africa weather extremes in Ivory Coast and Ghana drove record cocoa price increases, tightening supply and raising costs for confectionery makers.