QUALITY Street was accused of ruining Christmas after fans rumbled they’d shrunk the size of the legendary Purple One.
The festive chocolate selection box cut the size of the beloved hazelnut snack by more than a tenth, sparking fury among customers.
Sweetmakers Nestle previously sparked controversy by changing the caramel treat from its Brazil nut-shaped design to a circular swirl.
But fans also noticed the change in size, with one even weighing both sweets to work out the scale of the “shrinkflation”.
Previously, the chocolate clocked in at 9.6 grams, while this year’s was only 8.4g – the same as a 12 per cent reduction.
Quality Street lover Rebecca Gracey fumed online: “Half of the appeal of Quality Street is/was aesthetic.
“Changing the shape and size of much loved favourites is sacrilege.
“I’ve never forgiven Nestlè for changing the diamond of fudge into a most uninteresting shape.
“However, the final straw was changing the shiny cellophane and foil wrappers to dull waxed paper.
“I have not purchased them since that abomination.”
On Facebook, Karen Harrison added: “Had some Quality Street last night and noticed the purple ones were now round and felt they were smaller.”
Nestle previously said the change, originally introduced as a trial, was to make sure the iconic sweets would still be “the same great-tasting Purple One”.
The choccy giant failed to disclose the fact the chocolate had actually decreased in size until they were asked by The Sun.
A spokeswoman admitted: “The new shaped The Purple One sweets are slightly lighter than the previous shaped sweets, but the net weight of the tub remains the same.
“This means people are still getting the same amount of delicious Quality Street product they know and love – just in a slightly different format.”
