Cadbury is making Wispa Gold, Double Decker and Boost bars smaller to ‘tackle obesity’

What you need to know about Cadbury products shrinking  (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)What you need to know about Cadbury products shrinking  (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
What you need to know about Cadbury products shrinking (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Chocolate lovers are in for some bad news - some of the most popular chocolate bars from Cadbury are going to be getting smaller.

The move comes as the company states that it “has to recognise its role in obesity.”

Why is Cadbury shrinking its chocolate bars?

The company said that the goal was to bring all Cadbury chocolate bars sold in multipacks to under 200 calories by the end of 2021.

Louise Stigant, the UK managing director at Mondelēz International (which owns Cadbury), said, “We recognise we must play our part in tackling obesity and are committed to doing so without compromising on consumer choice.

“A focus on portion control is recognised as one of the most effective ways of helping people balance their calorie intake.”

The confectionery group has already promised to reduce the serving size of chocolates typically bought for children to under 100 calories by the end of 2020. Fudge, Curly Wurly and Chomp bars have already made the switch.

Over the years, Cabury has been reducing its portion sizes, with decisions like introducing a 250 calorie cap on all single serve chocolate bars in 2013 and a 98 calorie Cadbury Dairy Milk bar.

Last year, Cadbury launched Dairy Milk bars with 30 per cent less sugar.

Which chocolate bars are getting smaller?

The list of products affected by the change included the likes of:

  • Wispa Gold
  • Double Decker
  • Boost
  • Bournville Classic

The change only affects bars that are sold in multipacks - there will be made no changes to the size of bars that are sold individually.

Will these chocolate bars be cheaper because they’re smaller?

As it stands, the prices of bars reduced in size will not be changed.

A spokesperson for Cadbury said, “The list price for these products will not be changing at this time. Retail pricing remains at the retailer’s sole discretion.”

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) described the process of making a product size smaller while the price remains unchanged as “shrinkflation”.

The ONS explains, “If products “shrink” in size while the price stays the same, the price has inflated, as consumers will pay the same amount of money for less.”

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