FAMILY packs of Cadbury chocolate have shrunk down in size, leaving customers anything but sweet.
Previously the popular assortment of 14 “treatsize” chocs contained Chomps, Crunchies, Flakes, Fudges, Twirls and Curly Wurlys.
But new packs appearing in recent months have seen the Crunchie axed from the selection, as well as the size reduced from 216g to 207g.
But the price remains the same at around £3 for 14 treats.
Customers have blasted the change as they noticed the new packs appearing in supermarkets in recent months.
One review on the Asda site in September complained the bag was “smaller than advertised”.
Another added: “No Crunchie at all. Honestly not worth it considering eight pieces were Chomp and Fudge. Awful value.”
A third moaned: “Used to be good but no Crunchie in them less Flakes and Twirls and filled up with small Fudge and Chomp. Won’t be buying any more.”
Another fan on X said: “They have replaced the Crunchie with a Flake in the @CadburyUK mini packs. Frankly, am furious about it.”
Susannah Streeter, of investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said chocolate makers were struggling due to the price of cocoa.
She added: “Soaring cocoa prices are threatening the profits of the big confectioners.
“Companies are trying to find ways to protect margins, and it seems consumers are being faced with another round of shrinkflation on some products.
“Although wholesale cocoa prices have come down from the record levels in April, helped by better weather in key producing countries in Africa, they are still more than double the level of this time last year.
“It doesn’t look like the price pressures will ease significantly any time soon. The world’s largest producer, Ivory Coast, has set the purchase price of cocoa from its farmers, at a record level.
“Consumers have already had to swallow some bitter price hikes and sales are now significantly below other snack categories, which is forcing companies to look at other ways of absorbing increased costs.
“Chocolate lovers may have to be prepared for further sleights of hand, as we head towards key events like Halloween or Christmas.’’
Cadbury did not respond to our requests for a comment.
The chocolate maker has recently shrunk the size of its Brunch bars by 12.5%.
The price of a bar of Dairy Milk shot up by 12% in just a single month in July.
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are several reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
Cadbury said the hike was a “last resort” due to rising costs of cocoa in West Africa.
It has already hiked the price of Dairy Milk Coins ahead of Christmas.
The recommended retail price (RRP) of £2.19 is 20p more than last year, though supermarkets can set their own prices.
It came after The Sun revealed that Mars has shrunk the size of its Celebrations tubs.
The 600g box has been cut to 550g — equal to a reduction of around five sweets.
Mars blamed the rising costs of raw materials and operations.
Chocolate companies buy their cocoa up to a year before they manufacture and sell their products.
When an item shrinks in size but the price stays the same, it’s a tactic known as shrinkflation.
It means shoppers won’t pay more when costs increase for the company making the item, but they will get less product.
Smaller products are easier for customers to digest compared to increasing prices, making it a popular option for food manufacturers as it’s less noticeable.
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