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Prices for chocolate \u200ceggs and bunnies will remain high this Easter in the US despite the fact that prices for the main raw material used to make \u200bthem \u2013 cocoa beans \u2013 have gone sharply down over the \u200blast year, a report said on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEven though cocoa futures \u2060have dropped, retail prices remain sticky because candy makers buy \u200bcocoa months in advance and work through existing inventory and hedges,\u201d \u200bsaid David Branch, Sector Manager at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, in a report.<\/p>\n \u201cMost Easter chocolates were produced when cocoa was still extremely expensive, so shoppers \u200bshould expect prices similar to or slightly above Valentine\u2019s Day levels,\u201d \u200bhe added.<\/p>\n Cocoa futures prices fell more than 70% since a record-high level reached \u200cat \u2060the end of 2024 due to a recovery in production and changes in the industry, which reduced the size of packages and increased the use of alternative, non-cocoa ingredients.<\/p>\n Branch said that some \u200bprice reduction might \u200breach store shelves \u2060in the U.S. by mid\u20112026, around Halloween time, as lower cocoa costs work their way through \u200bproduction cycles.<\/p>\n Easter in the US. is a smaller candy \u200bholiday \u2060compared with Halloween and winter holidays, but it is heavily chocolate-driven, with approximately 90% of all Easter baskets including chocolate, according to the \u2060National \u200bConfectioners Association.<\/p>\n The industry estimates consumers to spend $3.3 \u200bbillion on Easter candy this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n