5 tips for enjoying Christmas chocolate at low prices – 12/19/2024 at 11:00

Thursday 19th December 2024 05:04 AM

(Which Christmas chocolates will you offer or enjoy at low prices this year? – Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Whether you are a fan of boxes, ballottins or plaques, Christmas chocolate is the king of the holiday table. An ideal gift, it also rallies guests around it by offering a variety of unexpected flavors. But how can we escape the rise in cocoa prices which impacts store prices with an increase of up to 10% observed over 12 months? Here are 5 tips to avoid letting your Christmas budget go through the roof because of chocolate.

1) Prefer milk Christmas chocolate to dark or white chocolate

With a lower level of cocoa in its composition, milk chocolate allows you to avoid the full brunt of inflation when purchasing. Indeed, dark chocolate is richer in cocoa and white chocolate is known for its high content of cocoa butter, which is also expensive.

On the other hand, dark chocolate being classified as an essential product, its VAT is 5.5%, which can make it attractive despite the current inflation on cocoa.

2) Choose the little chocolate bites

The regulations set VAT at 5.5% instead of 20% for chocolate candies with the following dimensions and weight: less than 5 cm or weighing less than 20 g per unit. The sale prices are automatically affected, which gives the chance for small chocolate candies at Christmas to be more competitive on the shelves than the larger models (1).

This is also the case for the following products, ready to eat (2):

Dried fruits + 25% chocolate + sugar film (colored or not), bite-sized.
Orangettes even slightly longer than 5 cm.
Chocolate candies filled with alcohol, black coating.

3) Munch on cocoa-based specialties… and cereals

With rice or popcorn, certain cocoa-based products (but less rich) stand out by being tasty, original with their light texture and remaining at reasonable prices. Presented in the form of colored balls, you will find them at chocolate makers who are diversifying their offering of cocoa products.

4) Try Christmas chocolates from hard discounters

Very inspired by traditional manufacturers, hard discounters ordered boxes from their suppliers for Christmas made up of the same types of chocolates as the originals at unbeatable prices. For example, Lidl launched its private Favorina collection with an “Expressions Gourmandes” box for the holidays of 20 chocolates, 100% pure cocoa butter, made in France (6.69 euros each and 9.36 euros for two boxes ).

The only difference to check when purchasing: the sugar level which may possibly be more present in low-price brands.

5) Opt for more sober packaging

Themed boxes of Christmas chocolates sold in stores charge a fee even if their price is invisible to the consumer: with more sober and less sophisticated bags, you will buy more products for the same price.

For example, at Carrefour (partner The Corner*), Ferrero Rochers in a box of 30 cost 20.77 euros per kilo, while the same treats presented in a transparent cone of 28 pieces cost 29 euros per kilo (i.e. 39. 6% more expensive).

The right reflex:

it is recommended to always examine the price per 100 grams or per kilogram which should be the reference before deciding (3).

Namely

Do you know Dubai chocolate or “Dubai chocolate” with its viral success on the networks?

This chocolate delight in the form of a bar made from pistachio paste, crepe lace with a roasted taste (kadayif) and cocoa sells between 7 and 10 euros per 100 g. Widely shared and acclaimed on social networks, it has crossed borders and represents a niche market in France that certain chocolatiers are rushing to satisfy, even if this lucrative trend will undoubtedly be ephemeral (4).

During the holidays, there are a few tips you should know to buy good chocolate a little cheaper. But fortunately, with Christmas chocolate, it’s not just a story of price, but a passion for a recipe, an atmosphere and a shared pleasure.