Milka maker milked shoppers over size of chocolate bars, German court rules

"A German court ruled that the makers of Milka cheated consumers by cutting the bar's size, while keeping the wrapper the same. The three-week case in a regional court was brought by Hamburg's consumer protection office. It accused the chocolate brand's US owner Mondelez of deceiving shoppers by cutting the weight of Milka's classic Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the distinctive purple packaging."

"Shrinkflation, where product sizes are reduced but prices stay the same (or even go up), has become all too common as manufacturers try to offset rising business and ingredient costs. After last year's changes, the Milka bar was a millimetre thinner and the price increased from 1.49 (1.29) to 1.99 (1.72). Ahead of Christmas, the Guardian revealed widespread shrinkflation in the confectionery aisle."

"This included lighter boxes of Quality Street and Celebrations, as well as smaller Terry's Chocolate Oranges. Toblerone another Mondelez brand had also suffered erosion with 20g shaved off its chocolatey peaks, reducing a 360g bar to 340g. Chocolate has become more expensive because of poor harvests in west Africa, in particular Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, where more than half of the world's cocoa beans are harvested."

"When asked about pack size reductions in the past, Mondelez has pointed to higher costs, ranging from ingredients such as cocoa and dairy, to energy and transport. Mondelez says it's reviewing the court's ruling. Mondelez told the Bremen court it had informed German consumers about the change on its website and social media channels. However, a poll saw Germans vote the Milka Alpenmilch bar rip-off packaging of the year 2025."

A German court ruled that Milka makers cheated consumers by cutting the weight of a chocolate bar while keeping the distinctive purple wrapper largely unchanged. The case was brought by a consumer protection office and targeted the classic Alpine Milk bar, reduced from 100g to 90g. Shrinkflation is described as a practice where product sizes shrink while prices stay the same or rise, often to offset higher business and ingredient costs. Milka changes included a thinner bar and a price increase. Other confectionery brands were also reported to have reduced sizes, including Toblerone. Chocolate prices are linked to poor cocoa harvests in West Africa, especially Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Mondelez said it is reviewing the ruling and claimed it informed consumers through online channels.

Read at www.theguardian.com