BELGIUM is famous for its delicious, luxurious chocolate, but recent soaring prices have caused a national tragedy, as many residents are forced to cut back on their national sweet treat. 

Prices of chocolate have risen faster than the average rate of food inflation in Belgium over the past year, seeing many citizens reduce their consumption of one of the country’s most beloved delicacies. 

Consumer rights organisation, Test Achats have reported in a recent study that chocolate prices in October 2023 were 11.5 per cent higher than in October 2022, with such an increase being well above Belgium’s current annual food inflation rate and around 30 times higher than the annual headline rate of 0.36 per cent. 

A spokesperson for retail and supermarket association, Colruyt Group, Nathalie Roisin, stated that, “in terms of sales, the Belgian chocolate market has been declining for the last 12 months. The increase in chocolate prices, combined with the general inflation of food, has encouraged consumers to stop buying chocolate.” Before revealing the sad news that chocolate “is a pleasure product that customers buy to spoil themselves, to comfort themselves. But now they do it less often than before.”

The saying ‘life is sweeter with chocolate’ can definitely be related to by many, and in a time where there’s quite a lot of sour and saltiness around the world, we could all do with a little sweet treat! Here’s to hoping this is just a blip in the luxurious and creamy story of Belgians and their beloved chocolate.