These days, apart from French toast, it is very common to see and eat chocolate Easter eggs. An in-depth study indicates which eggs are healthier and, based on the fact that it is an ultra-processed product and consumed very sporadically, we must be clear that they are not healthy...
When we talk about healthy, we're not referring to sugars, calories, and fats, but rather, in this case, to CO2 emissions, palm oil, and liters of water . An interesting study published in Uswitch.
Easter eggs have been divided into several groups and analyzed. The study shows that there are ecological and environmentally friendly eggs, since they have recycled materials in their packaging, few CO2 emissions and few liters of water in their manufacture.
Are there organic Easter eggs?
According to the study, the top brands for organic Easter eggs were Buttermilk, followed by Waitrose, Lindt, Ferrero, and Sainsbury's. At the bottom of the list were well-known brands like Nestlé and Cadbury.
These companies have packaging that is only 67% recycled, use more than 5.100 liters of water per kilo of product, and emit more than 1,7 kilos of CO2 per kilo of product.
Another important point is sustainability, since some ingredients in chocolate Easter eggs, as well as chocolate in general, include palm oil . This ingredient is both bad for our health and bad for the planet, as its plantations contribute to deforestation in the Amazon and other parts of the world.
Based on this premise, the best brands were Lotte, Sainsbury's, Buttermilk, Thorntons, and Waitrose. None of them include palm oil among their ingredients , and CO2 emissions are below 0,60 kg in some cases.
The study reveals a chilling statistic: in the UK alone, approximately 97.647 tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere around this time of year. But the headline doesn't end there; it's estimated that around 288 billion liters of water are used during Easter week to make the chocolate for Easter eggs.
Once again Nestle, Cadbury, Ferrero and Lindt are in the worst positions:
It's no longer just the emissions, the liters of water used, and palm oil as the main ingredient, in addition to the fats and sugars in these products, but also the waste they generate. The study indicates that around 7.200 tons of packaging are generated each Easter from Easter eggs, but almost 91% of it can be recycled.