A report has shown that approaching Easter, and with seasonal treats aplenty, UK chocoholics are chomping through 10kg of chocolate a year – more than any other European nation.
In comparison, Germany was responsible for consuming a total of 8.1 kg, France for 6.8kg, Spain for 3.9kg and Italy for just 2.2kg last year.
The total chocolate spend in Britain was GBP4.3bn (US$7.5bn) during 2005, equating to annual per capita expenditure of GBP72.
Favourite chocolate products were countlines, making up 44% of total volume sales, followed by molded bars (18.5%), then boxed chocolates (16%).
The UK accounted for 25% of the total European chocolate market value in 2005 according to the data, compiled by independent market analyst Datamonitor.
Datamonitor forecasts the UK chocolate market to grow to GBP4.6bn in 2010, with consumption per capita remaining the same and the dark chocolate category growing at 48%.
