Sainsbury’s and Tesco have become the latest supermarket chains to announce that they will stock an overtly religious Easter egg replete with Jesus on the packaging after acquiescing to lobbying from Christians.
The Real Easter Egg comprises a chocolate treat in a similar vein to the more familiar Cadbury’s varieties but also comes with an advert for the religion plastered on the box.
Manufactured by the Meaningful Chocolate Company the sugar ovoid is expected to be snapped up by around 200,000 sweet toothed Christians, a fraction of the 80m Easter eggs sold in the UK each year.
Waitrose, Morrison’s and the Co-op agreed to sell a limited amount of the treats in a small number of stores in previous years; only Tesco will distribute the eggs widely across 450 of its largest stores.
Asda however will shun the product entirely.
David Marshall, from the Meaningful Chocolate Company, said: “Our aim is to change the Easter egg market forever by making it more spiritual, more generous and more faithful.”
All proceeds from the £3.99 chocolate egg will be donated to charity.