According to new research collated and analysed by Wren Kitchens, the average British child will receive a whopping 17,700 calories worth of chocolate this Easter – that’s over double the recommended allowance across the full four-day bank holiday weekend for a child aged 7-10, and ten times the recommended daily sugar allowance.

Wren Kitchens surveyed 2,000 parents with children under the age of 15 and asked how many of a sample of products that they would be buying for their child and how many they expected to receive from friends/family. They then took the portion size based on the average answer and multiplied this by the number of calories/fat/sugar in each of the products. These portion sizes were then added together to calculate a final amount. 
 
With parents, friends, family and even teachers potentially adding to the Easter chocolate haul, research suggests the average child is gifted a chocolate trove of:
 
•              4 small chocolate eggs
•              5 medium chocolate eggs
•              4 large chocolate eggs
•              4 bags of Mini Eggs
•              4 Creme Eggs
•              3.5 Lindt bunnies
•              3 mini Kinder Eggs
•              3 chocolate bars
 
Totting up to an incredible 2,000g of sugar (that’s 500 teaspoons) and 1,000g of fat. Even eating this across the four-day bank holiday weekend would not come close to the RDI – a child’s sugar intake of this magnitude be spread over 83 days.

To really put it into perspective, the average sugary Easter haul is the equivalent of:

A Mini Egg here, a chunk of chocolate egg there, a Lindt bunny ear…our favourite Easter indulgences can be deceptively calorific. In fact, there are shocking numbers hiding in some of the nation’s favourite Easter treats:
 

 
Registered Nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed comments on the findings: “As a Registered Nutritionist, I’m not here to take ALL the fun out of Easter. However, these figures are quite alarming and it’s easy to see how the numbers can easily add up over an Easter weekend. Additionally, if we were to combine these figures with those from other occasions when children are likely to overindulge (Christmas, birthdays, parties, holidays, weekends) you can see how it may become less of a treat and more or a regular occurrence. Add this to the fact that many children eat chocolates and sweets every day, and then their intake of calories, fat and sugar really become a concern. There are plenty of ways to celebrate family occasions and events such as Easter without over relying on chocolate and sweets. Fun activities and trips together, playing games, picnics and even doing some baking at home can all be just as enjoyable and much more healthy too!” 
 
Last year, Wren Kitchens discovered 96% of British parents were interested in creating healthier food habits for their family. Yet, just 1 in 3 parents surveyed this year said they would NOT be buying chocolatey Easter treats for their children, with a mere 6% of mums and dads introducing a healthy alternative to sugar-filled sweets or treating the kids to a fun day out instead (just 22% said they do this).