EXCLUSIVE Now Curly Wurlys become latest victim of shrinkflation - as multipacks cut the amount of bars, but keep the price the SAME

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Cury Wurly bars have become the latest victims of shrinkflation as multipacks have shrunk from five to four - but the price has remained the same.
The newly-shrunk packs of the Cadbury 's bar are being sold for £1.40, even though the bigger size cost the same only a few months ago.
The change has been blasted by sweet-toothed shoppers online, causing some to vow to never buy the chocolate again due to the sneaky corporate tactic.
Packs of Fudge and Freddo have previously gone down from five to four bars, and Dairy Milk Little Bars are reduced from six to four.
Mondelēz International (previously called Kraft Foods), which has owned Cadbury since 2010, blamed the change on increases in cocoa and dairy prices, as well as rising transport and energy costs.
One angry customer wrote on Twitter /X: 'I'll try to enjoy this four pack as it will be my last.'
Another added: 'I defo won't be buying any. I saw it was a four-pack and was like hell no.'
Consumer champion Martyn James described the Curly Wurly - which first launched in 1970 - as the 'chocolate treat of my youth'.
He added: 'Chocolate is more than just an occasional sweet treat. It's evocative of our childhood and means a huge amount to us.
'Manufacturers need to realise that by doing this, they are destroying our faith in these cherished brands. And when we are unhappy, we vote with our feet. So cutting the chocolate will only drive away precious customers.'
Curly Wurly bar of chocolate-coated hard caramel has been a Cadbury staple ever since it was launched in the UK in 1970.
Mondelēz International said: 'We understand the economic pressures that consumers continue to face and any changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business.
'However, as a food producer, we are continuing to experience significantly higher input costs across our supply chain, with ingredients such as cocoa and dairy, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously.
'Meanwhile, other costs like energy and transport, also remain high. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges
'As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Curly Wurly multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.'
Meanwhile, bags of Crunchie Rocks, Bitsa Wispa and Oreo Bites have all shrunk from 110g to 100g. However, they are still being sold at major retailers for the same price - £1.75.
It is yet another blow for sweet-toothed Brits as Cadbury have quietly reduced the size of another multipack
As well as Cadbury, other notable confectionary brands such as Nestle's KitKat and Terry's Chocolate Orange have suffered from shrinkflation.
It comes after Spin Genie UK analysed Britain's four main chocolate selection boxes over Christmas - Heroes, Celebrations, Roses and Quality Street - to reveal how they have decreased in size over the last 15 years.
Last year year, they were priced at approximately £6 across major UK supermarkets.
Back in 2009, the boxes came with a heftier price tag, costing around £10 each.
While today's tubs may seem more affordable, they offer less indulgence per pound than in the past.
In 2009, across all tubs combined, the average weight per pound was 101.25g, whereas, in 2024, this is 93.25g.
Consumer expert Kate Hardcastle previously told MailOnline shrinkflation is 'the exact opposite of what shoppers value – transparency and authenticity'.
She said: 'I understand why producers do it. The cost of everything from ingredients to labour has risen dramatically over the last few years and we don't like paying more. So the obvious solution is to shrink the product and hope shoppers don't notice.
'They call it "re-engineering" or "price management" and it happens most easily in products with a lot of packaging, making it easy to disguise the shrinkage.
'But no one wants to be taken for a fool and that's what it feels like, and it's happening more and more.'
Which? magazine's senior editor, Ele Clark, wants the Government to urge retailers to make unit pricing clearer.
She said in August: 'Supermarkets and manufacturers must be more upfront with consumers about any changes in the size or ingredients of their products.
'They should also ensure that unit pricing is prominent, legible and consistent so that shoppers can easily compare prices across different brands and pack sizes.'
So far British politicians have been unwilling to act and legislate on the rising trend of shrinkflation.
In April, during a parliamentary inquiry into fairness in the food supply, leading UK retailers and brands denied the need for any further shrinkflation regulations and instead justified the practice.
But this is contrary to what's happening elsewhere.
For example, since July, French supermarkets have been obliged to display when food and consumer goods have been shrunk.
Information must stay in place for two months. The French finance minister declared shoppers deserve 'transparency' and slammed shrinkflation as a 'rip-off'.