Taking the biscuit: consumers spend more but get less as chocolate prices rise by 15%

Britons spent £5.9bn on chocolate in stores in the year to 9 August but although that figure was up 10%, they took home less in their baskets. Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian

Whether it’s a favourite bar, biscuit or indulgent hot drink, feeding a chocolate habit costs more than it used to.

The price of the chocolate on shop shelves climbed by 15.4% in the year to August, according to the latest cost of living snapshot.