IT'S the time for giving chocolate eggs. But the Easter bunny is a bit more stingy this year.

For a survey has revealed that some Easter eggs on sale in supermarkets have shrunk in size by as much as 38 per cent — compared to 2009.

Yet customers are sometimes paying more for them!

Leading Easter egg manufacturers have downsized their eggs by as much as 38 per cent in some cases compared with last year — and in some instances have even increased their prices, analysis from the grocery shopping and comparison website mySupermarket.co.uk has revealed. While the huge number of special offers currently available have brought the price of Easter eggs down by seven per cent on average, in some cases consumers are paying more but getting less chocolate for their cash.

Guylian's Seashells Egg has reduced the amount of chocolate in its Easter egg by 14 per cent compared with 2009, yet its price is up by £1 in Sainsbury's on last year.

The egg was 285g, but has now been reduced to 245g — in 2009 it cost £5, but now costs £6.

Cadbury's Dairy Milk Easter Chick & Buttons Easter Egg has also reduced its size by 10 per cent since last year, without reducing the price. It was downsized from 185g to 167g — with shoppers paying no less for a smaller egg.

Cadbury's Creme Giant Egg (529g) is another example, with a 16 per cent reduction in terms of size but no price change at Asda — with a 100g quantity reduction from 629g to 529g.

And the Beacon Hot Wheels Toy & Egg seems to have suffered the same mysterious shrinking effect. Its size was 120g in 2009 and has now been reduced to 75g — an enormous reduction of 38 per cent — while the price remains the same at Tesco (£4.99).

mySupermarket's Jonny Steel says: "The good news for consumers is that this year Easter Eggs cost seven per cent less than they did in 2009.

"However, we should beware that confectionery manufacturers do sometimes downsize products such as Easter eggs to help keep prices low. This leaves shoppers paying the same amount of money as they were before the packet revamp, while getting less in return.

"While from a healthy eating perspective this may not be a bad thing, consumers should still be aware."

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The top five shrinking Easter Eggs in 2010.

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