Here we are in March and it’s Easter very soon!
For many Kiwis that means it’s time for chocolate eggs, bunnies, and other delicious cocoa treats.
But did you know that at least 20% of the global cocoa workforce are children, and that cocoa produced by kids is likely in a lot of the Easter eggs you’ll find in Aotearoa this Easter? In the cocoa industry, children often work long days in very harsh conditions rather than going to school. The sugar used can also be a concern, with child and forced labour common in the industry.
If this bothers you and you’d like to support better practices, you may be wondering which chocolates to buy. Good news is there are certifications that can help us when shopping this Easter.
Want a quick summary to pull out at the supermarket? Check out our summary flyer (PDF) or download a printable version (PDF) to share with your friends.
What to look for
We recommend looking for Easter chocolate with these logos:
When you see these marks, you know the cocoa supply chain is being checked for child labour and forced labour. (You can find more info in our Cocoa guide about each certification, and why we consider these reliable.)
We’ve put together a handy list below of Easter treats with these certifications – including eggs, bunnies, cheap options for the kids, fancier ones for gifts, and vegan options. There may be more in stores too, keep an eye out for the certification marks on packets.
Jump to your favourite brand using the links (in the Table of Contents) or scroll through the full list.
Table of Contents
Check out the list below. It starts with options where both the cocoa and sugar are certified, followed by where only the cocoa is certified.
Easter treats with certified cocoa & sugar
Bennetto
Certification: Fairtrade cocoa and sugar – also any other “risky” ingredients such as vanilla essence are certified too.
Product available: Easter Gift Pack of 3 Bars
Where to buy: Bennetto online store or Bliss online store
Make your own chocolate eggs
Marshmallow Easter eggs
We aren’t aware of any marshmallow eggs with certified chocolate and sugar however they are easy to make yourself using certified chocolate and sugar from the supermarket. Making your own also gives you more options for small eggs with flavoured fillings.
See recipes for:
Keen to make eggs with a group? Check out this guide.
Other Easter eggs
You might also be interested in recipes for:
Easter treats with Fairtrade certified cocoa
Klett
Certification: Fairtrade cocoa
Product available: Sitting bunny
Where to buy: The Warehouse
Note: look for the certification mark before buying any other Klett products - most Klett products use uncertified cocoa.
Easter treats with Fair for Life certification
La Petite
Certification: La Petite don’t use one of the certifications previously mentioned, but do use Fair For Life certified cocoa. This is a European certification that we rarely see in New Zealand, however we feel it is very similar to Fairtrade and consider it a reliable slave-free certification.
Products include:
- Chocolate bars – Hot Cross Bar milk and dark
- Baby chicks – milk and dark
- Henny Penny the Chick – milk and dark
- Miss Daisy the Hen – milk and dark
- Harriet the Mama Hen – milk and dark
- Benjamin the Hare – milk and dark
- Marshmallow bunnies – milk and dark
- Praline eggs – milk and dark
- Easter egg with marshmallow cubes inside – milk and dark
- Giant egg with marshmallow cubes and mini figurines inside – milk and dark
- Seasonal Bonbon Collection with Easter themed sleeve
Where to buy: All are available at their shop in Wellington or online, or at various boutique retailers.
Easter treats with Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa
Woolworths Hot Cross Buns
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa
Products available: Mudcake Filled Hot Cross Buns
Where to buy: Woolworths
Note: Not all Woolworths chocolate hot cross buns display the Rainforest Alliance logo so we can’t be confident they are made with child labour free cocoa.
Whittakers
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa
Products include: Chocolate Kiwi with egg – milk and dark options available
Where to buy: Pak n Save, Woolworths, New World, The Warehouse
Note: buying these also supports Kiwi conservation.
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa
Products include:
- Milk chocolate pods with 4x flavours – available in a box or pouch
- Milk chocolate pods in Hazelnut Gianduja flavour – available in a box or pouch
Where to buy: Pak n Save, New World or Woolworths (products vary between stores).
Nestlé range
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa
Products include: Nestlé has various Easter chocolates across their brands (e.g. Smarties, After 8, KitKat, Milky Bar, Aero, Allens). This year we’ve seen:
- Boxed Easter eggs – Smarties, Rolo, KitKat, Allen’s Rocky Road
- Various sharing packs – After Eight mini eggs, KitKat mini bunnies, KitKat mini eggs, Mixed pack with KitKat, Rolo, Crunch, Milkybar and Smarties mini eggs
- Mini Bunny Hut with KitKate and Allen’s chocolates
- KitKat bunny shaped chocolate
There may be other products also available in store.
Where to buy: Kmart, supermarkets, The Warehouse, or Cracker Jack (products vary between stores).
If Nestlé itself is a concern, see here why we consider it generally OK to buy from Nestlé these days.
Baileys
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa
Product available: Baileys Salted Caramel Mini Eggs
Where to buy: The Warehouse
Waikato Valley
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa – most products we’ve seen by Waikato Valley are certified, but check for the Rainforest Alliance mark to be sure.
Products include:
- Bunny – milk chocolate, white strawberry, and popping candy
- Sharing packs – eggs for Easter hunt and bunnies
- Mini eggs
- Speckled flat egg with 100’s and 1000’s
- Hollow egg
- Hollow eggs – with mint balls, scorched almonds, chocolate buttons, sour glow worms, and berry blast gummies
- Hollow eggs – coffee and tiramisu flavours
- Hollow eggs in fun shaped boxes – T Rex, Zombie and Unicorn
Where to buy: The Warehouse
NOMO (allergy-friendly, dairy-free & vegan)
NOMO chocolate is all free from dairy, gluten, eggs and nuts.
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa – the certification logo is not on NOMO’s products, but we know from their website they use Rainforest Alliance cocoa.
Products include:
- Bunny shaped bars – individual or share pack
- Egg with lolly
- Eggs with bars – Bunny shaped bars, Caramel chocolate mini bars and Creamy Chocolate mini bars
Where to buy: The Warehouse, supermarkets, Warehouse stationery and Ballantynes (products vary between stores).
Moo Free (dairy-free & vegan)
Certification: Rainforest Alliance cocoa – the certification logo is only on some of Moo Free’s products, but we know from their website they use Rainforest Alliance cocoa.
Products include:
- Bunny shaped chocolate bar
- Egg shaped chocolate bar
- Eggs – rocky road or honeycomb
- Mini eggs – caramel or fondant
- Egg Hunt Kit
Where to buy: Vegan & organics stores
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We hope the above helps! Have a great Easter :) and if you’re keen to buy child labour free chocolate all year around, see our general Cocoa & Chocolate guide.