People on the east coast are the biggest chocolate lovers in the country, according to new research.

Dubliners have the sweetest tooth, followed by Cork and Galway.

The survey from Tony's Chocolonely examined Google searches for chocolate in each county.

It found Dublin tops the list with 48% of the search volume across Ireland.

Cork comes in second at 10% of searches in the last year.

Galway placed third at 4%, Kildare landed the fourth spot at 3.5% and Meath came in fifth with 3% of searches.

Limerick, Louth, Wicklow, Tipperary and Kerry also make up the top 10.

Source: Tony’s Chocolonely/Bounce Insights

According to the research, conducted in partnership with Bounce Insights, only 29% of Irish people have heard about modern slavery on cocoa plantations - and just 33% had heard about child labour and other forms of exploitation occurring on cocoa farms.

Meanwhile, 91% believe that all food companies should be tackling illegal labour in their supply chains.

Some 92% agreed that farmers around the world should be paid a living wage, and 77% of respondents also agreed it was important that the food they buy is from traceable and transparent supply chains.

File photo of chocolate bars. Picture by: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire/PA Images

Nicola Matthews is UKI Head of Marketing at Tony's Chocolonely.

"Our mission is to make all chocolate 100% slave free and empower chocolate lovers to opt for ethically-produced chocolate," she said.

"Our consumer research in Ireland shows that Irish shoppers want to know where their food comes from, and whether it is ethically produced and responsibly sourced - but the findings highlighted a clear gap in knowledge about some of the bitter truths of chocolate production.

"There are still over 1.5 million cases of child labour present in the chocolate industry in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire today.

"With chocolate lovers gearing up to celebrate with friends and family this Easter, we wanted to remind everyone to opt for sustainable and ethical chocolate without compromising on flavour or fun," she added.

Main image: An employee checks chocolate bars from a chocolate manufacturer in Waldenbuch, Germany. Picture by: Marijan Murat/DPA/PA Images