Last Easter, Hungarians took home some 900 tonnes of chocolate figures.

More than 6,700 tonnes of ham and other boiled or smoked meats are consumed over the Easter holiday in Hungary, said Martina Mostisch, secretary general of the Hungarian Meat Industry Federation, citing data from market researcher GfK Hungary.

On average, each household consumes around 2.4 kilograms in this product category at Easter.

Mostisch noted that pork products on the market at Easter are variable in quality, and urged consumers to buy from tried and trusted producers, avoiding products that do not display the producer on the label and taking care to check sell-by dates.

Meanwhile, the Association of Hungarian Confectionery Manufacturers (MÉSZ), is upbeat about prospects on the Hungarian sweets market.

According to the latest data from market researcher Nielsen, the 900 tonnes of chocolate figures Hungarians bought last Easter represented a 20% increase on 2016.

Chocolate rabbits led the way, followed by chocolate eggs, ducks, lambs and chicks.

Easter sweets turnover was also up in terms of money spent last year, increasing by 28% to some HUF 4.5 bln.

Total annual turnover on the Hungarian confectionery market in  2017 amounted to more than HUF 200 bln, and it is estimated that this will rise by around 2-3% this year.

According to MÉSZ, consumers are increasingly inclined to buy higher-quality products in higher price categories.