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The Easter bunny and the chocolate conspiracy

Nathan J Grills
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (8): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03032.x
Published online: 18 April 2011

From public health pariah to pin-up bunny?

Chocolate manufacturers around the world know that the Easter bunny (EB) is highly effective at enticing us to eat chocolate. Up to 28% of one manufacturer’s yearly chocolate sales occur in the lead up to Easter.1 Another company produces about 500 million of one particular Easter egg variety — the United Kingdom’s most sold Easter confectionery.2 The EB has been popularised and exploited by chocolate manufacturers and other companies selling this energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food. Since when did bunnies lay eggs made of chocolate? Is this a conspiracy to sell lucrative chocolate eggs?


  • 1 Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC.
  • 2 Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: ngrills@unimelb.edu.au
Competing interests:

None identified.

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