Cupid got off easy this Valentine's Day, but spikes in cocoa bean and sugar prices may have the Easter bunny digging deeper into your pocket for those chocolate eggs and rabbits.
Chocolate prices are going up, but Valentine's chocolates are mostly already on shelves with prices set. It's possible high-quality Valentine's products could cost a little more, but by Easter prices likely will rise, possibly by as much as five per cent, said Marcia Mogelonsky, U.S.-based global food analyst for Mintel.
"That's when we're going to see it," she said.
There are a few reasons behind the increase, including political turbulence in Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer of cocoa beans, that led to a one-month ban on exports that was announced in late January.
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