A BELOVED Cadbury snack bar has been hit with a case of “shrinkflation” after becoming smaller in size.
Shoppers have described the move as “irritating” after the price of the sweet treat remained the exact same despite it shrinking.
The popular Cadbury Brunch bar multipacks have reportedly been reduced in size by a major 12.5 per cent.
Traditionally shoppers were able to bag up a pack of five bars which in total weighed over 160g – or 32g per lunchtime treat.
But now the entire box weighs a whole 20g less with the bars now sat at 28g each, an investigation by The Grocer has revealed.
The size reduction applies to all the flavours including their raisin, peanut, choc chip and Bournville choc chip choices.
However the Brunch Light multipacks, that were launched by Cadbury back in April, haven’t been hit with shrinkflation and are still the usual size.
Despite the size being reduced the price of five Brunch bars hasn’t.
According to the investigation, the multipacks are still scanning at tills for £1.35 in most supermarkets.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons have all kept their prices the same – leaving shoppers disappointed with the move.
Customers voiced their concerns under a post on Reddit addressing the shift in size of Brunch bars.
One said: “The Cadburys brunch bar has gotten smaller. I swear it gets smaller and skinnier every year.
“Less substantial, there’s more air in the packet.”
Another added: “It’s honestly so irritating, feels like every time I go to buy something it’s smaller.”
A third commented: “At some point, it just gets too small to buy.
“This looks like it should be part of a larger thing.”
The Sun has contacted Cadbury for a comment.
A spokesperson for the Mondelez, the company who owns Cadbury, told the Grocer it had made “considered changes to the recommended retail price alongside small weight reductions across our core Brunch Bars”.
They also said they were “continuing to experience significantly higher input costs” across their supply chain.
Cocoa and sugar are two of the largest ingredients to have seen a rise in price, the company said.
Shrinkflation is causing massive problems for shoppers across the world.
It is when manufacturers shrink the size or quantity of a product while keeping the price the same.
This means that consumers will be paying more per given amount.
Rising the price per gram is a well-oiled strategy used by companies to stealthily boost profit margins or to cement them in times of rising input costs.
Companies will often engage in shrinkflation when their production costs begin to rise.
A heavy hit to profit margins may force the company to simply shrink their products rather than increase the sticker price.
One of the best ways to notice shrinkflation is by spotting a redesign on the packaging or a new slogan.
This may means the company has made a change and that change may just be the size of the product.
It is mainly seen in the food and beverage industries but can also happen in almost all markets.
It is a form of hidden inflation as shrinkflation often goes unnoticed by customers.
Companies run the risk of turning customers away from a product or brand if they do notice they are getting less for the same price.
In recent weeks, pet owners were enraged after multipack Purina Felix Original cat food shrunk by 15 per cent.
Popular milkshake makers Frijj have also been accused of milking customers by quietly shrinking the size of their milkshakes — without slashing the price.
The chocolate milk bottles decreased in size from a hearty 400ml portion to just 330ml, a drop of more than a fifth.
THE latest example of shrinkflation sweeping across the UK has seen family favourite pasta sauce brand Dolmio adjust their packaging.
Their 750g jars are now 675g while 500g jars have been trimmed to 450g.
But despite the ten per cent decrease, the price has stayed put at £3 and £2.50 in supermarkets.
It has left customers unhappy at maker Mars, which advertises it on TV with the slogan, “When’sa your Dolmio day?”.
One fan told The Sun: “It’s a family jar but now it’s smaller, so I’ve had to reduce the portions on every plate at the table.
“It’s really disappointing that companies try to hide this from their customers by making sneaky packaging changes instead of just being honest.
“In two months the price will go up again and it’s even worse of a deal.”
A Mars spokeswoman confirmed the changes, telling The Sun: “Like everyone, we’ve experienced significant cost increases across our raw materials and operations, something that we are continuing to see.
“We have been absorbing these rising costs for some time, but the growing pressures we are facing means we needed to take further action.
“While it has been a difficult decision to decrease the weight of our jars, our priority is continuing to provide our great products, without compromising on quality or taste.”
