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Cadbury responds to raging chocaholics after reducing size of Dairy Milk bar due to ‘shrinkflation’
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
29 Mar 2022
2m
There probably isn’t one of us who hasn’t taken solace in a Cadbury’s Dairy Milk sharing bar after a long, hard day. It’s a simple pleasure, a constant – some might say man’s best friend.
But the chocolate brand has upset some loyal shoppers this week after announcing it would be shrinking its 200g Dairy Milk bars by 10%, whilst keeping the price at £2.
Dairy Milk lovers, close your ears (Credit: Alamy)
Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez, blamed the latest news on ‘shrinkflation’ and the cost of living crisis for the new trimmed down bars, which now sit at 180g.
‘Shrinkflation’ is basically a rather unpleasant phenomenon which sees the size of food items shrinking, whilst prices stay the same, as a result of inflation – and it’s left a nasty taste in the mouths of some choccy fans.
Taking to Twitter, one individual described themselves as “outraged” at the decision, whilst another quipped: “Ain’t nothing sweet about this Dairy Milk downsize”.
A third joked: “I can cope with rising fuel costs, rising electricity bills and rising gas prices but the thought of smaller Dairy Milk bars really does take the (chocolate) biscuit.”
People haven’t been too happy about the shrinkage (Credit: Twitter)
In a comment shared with Twisted, a representative for Mondelez explained: “We’re facing the same challenges that so many other food companies have already reported when it comes to significantly increased production costs – whether it’s ingredients, energy or packaging – and rising inflation. This means that our products are much more expensive to make.
“We understand that consumers are faced with rising costs too, which is why we look to absorb costs wherever we can, but, in this difficult environment, we’ve had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our medium Cadbury Dairy Milk bars for the first time since 2012, so that we can keep them competitive and ensure the great taste and quality our fans enjoy.”
Over the years, the smaller Dairy Milk has trimmed down too, dropping from 49g to 45g whilst jumping in price to 70p.
Plus, Mondelez faced similar backlash in 2020 when it cut the size of its multipack chocolates, like Crunchies, Twirls and Wispas, whilst keeping the RRP of the packs the same.
The chocolate aisle isn’t the only thing getting pricier (Credit: Alamy)
There’s no denying chocaholics have had it hard, but the issue extends further than the snack cupboard.
Last week, we learnt that the rate of inflation rose 6.2% year-on-year in February – that’s a 30-year-high.
And according to the Bank Of England, inflation is expected to rise above 8% in the next few months, and keep on climbing.
Our advice? Stock up on chocolate now, folks. It might get pricier, and if nothing else it’s a necessary antidote to our current financial turmoil…
