An Easter Eggmergency: Ocado launches emergency chocolate delivery service as two-thirds of parents admit to stealing their kids’ Easter eggs

• Ahead of Easter, new research finds almost two-thirds of parents (63%) admit to secretly scoffing their kids’ Easter eggs
• In response, Ocado is coming to the rescue with a new Eggmergency Service, delivering FREE last-minute replacement Easter eggs to sheepish parents

Parents who share their chocolate confession here will get the chance to receive a last-minute bundle of Ocado Easter treats delivered straight to their door.

With Easter fast approaching, choc-induced parental panic is kicking in. New research from Ocado Retail, the UK’s largest online supermarket, reveals almost two-thirds of parents (63%) are guilty of scoffing their kids’ Easter eggs before, during and after the celebration. Three-quarters (75%) of these treat-pilfering parents have even previously vowed not to do so.

The research also found that half of parents (50%) have been caught red-handed by their kids in previous years. One in five (20%) say they’ve had to purchase last-minute replacements, and almost two-fifths (39%) have argued with their partner after discovering they’d eaten the children’s Easter eggs.

But this year, Ocado is coming to the rescue of parents in fear of hopping-mad offspring on Easter Sunday, with the launch of its ‘Eggmergency Service’. This special delivery service will see a dedicated Ocado van hit the streets of London and Leeds, offering a much-needed lifeline to those with a guilty conscience, swiftly replacing prematurely scoffed Easter treats with the gift of a bundle of chocolate eggs.

The deliveries are available to residents of Leeds and London during the week of Easter. To be in the running to receive a visit from the Eggmergency Service, parents just need to confess their sweet slip-ups at www.ocado.com/eggmergency. 

Successful applicants will receive a cost and judgment-free delivery of five replacement chocolate eggs straight to their front door in time for Easter. The recipients will get a trio of eggs for the kids, plus two extra indulgent ones for the parents, to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself – all picked from Ocado’s vast range of Easter treats. From crowd-pleasing milk chocolate to creamy white, as well as dairy, gluten, and nut-free options, Ocado’s Eggmergency Service will deliver joy to the whole family.

Other findings from the research include that almost a third (29%) of parents have lied and blamed their partner when their children’s chocolate stash has mysteriously depleted. Aside from partner blaming, the most common excuse is ‘The Easter bunny took it back because you didn’t say thank you’, with 18% of parents using this little white lie to explain the missing confectionery. 

Whilst chocolate theft amongst parents is still rife, this could be set to change in future years. Four in five (81%) of 25-34-year-olds say they still receive Easter eggs from their own parents, perhaps paving the way for a little more Easter equilibrium in the future.

Laura Harricks, Chief Customer Officer at Ocado Retail, says: 

“We think parents deserve to enjoy Easter just as much as the kids, so we’re doing what we can to make sure that happens this year – from making shopping for the whole family easy, to having the whole Easter shop in one stop and at great prices. Convenient doorstep deliveries are what we do at Ocado, so we’re well placed to give the Easter bunny a helping hand and – with the launch of the Eggmergency Service – take the pressure off panicked parents.”

Ocado’s Eggmergency Service is coming to the rescue and applications are open now. Entries will close on Wednesday 9th April at 23.59am and five lucky winners in London and five in Leeds will be notified by Thursday 10th April. The full T&Cs can be found on the entry page, and below.

This Easter, Ocado is working with The Felix Project. For every purchase of selected medium and large chocolate Easter eggs that were made between 26 February and 25 March this year, Ocado donated a meal to The Felix Project, one of Ocado’s key charity partners. This year, over 45,500 meals were donated through this initiative.

Head to Ocado.com to check out more of Ocado’s Easter range, including over 200 Easter eggs – from crowd-pleasing family favourites, to decidedly grown up options, like the M&S Collection Marc De Champagne Truffles & Belgian Milk Chocolate Egg and Prestat Hot Cross Bun Truffle Easter egg – and get everything you need for Easter delivered straight to your door.

Notes to editors:

Research 

Research was conducted by 3 Gem of 2,000 UK adults, from 12th to 17th March 2025.

The most popular creative excuses for explaining why your child’s Easter egg/chocolate is missing include:

• The Easter bunny took it back because you didn’t say thank you 
• A chocolate-loving leprechaun borrowed it 
• It got lost 
• Your chocolate had a secret mission and was called back to candyland 
• Your mum/dad ate it (i.e. the other parent – not you) 
• It ran away to join the circus…!