Cadbury shrinks iconic Dairy Milk bars as inflation bites – but price stays the same
Parent company Mondelez blames soaring inflation and rising costs for a reduction in the size of its larger bars
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cadbury has reduced the size of Dairy Milk sharing bars by 10 per cent, passing the impact of soaring costs to customers as inflation continues to bite.
Parent company Mondelez blamed an increase in production costs for the shrinking of its larger bars from 200g to 180g.
The bars are still being sold at £2, despite the size reduction.
We’re facing the same challenges that so many other food companies have already reported when it comes to significantly increased production costs
US-based Mondelez said the ‘shrinkflation’ – reducing the size of a product but keeping its price the same in order to improve profitability – was the first for Dairy Milk in a decade.
In 2012, a 49g bar was reduced to 45g but the price remained at 59p. One year earlier, the 140g chocolate bar was reduced to 120g.
It comes as the cost of living crisis gathers pace, with accelerating food inflation placing record pressure on UK households.
Last week, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation struck a new 30-year-high of 6.2 per cent for February; it is expected to soar beyond 8 per cent in the coming months.
The figures for February showed food inflation increased by 5.3 per cent year-on-year, with prices of milk, fresh meat and coffee among the sharpest increases.
A Mondelez spokesman said: “We’re facing the same challenges that so many other food companies have already reported when it comes to significantly increased production costs – whether it’s ingredients, energy or packaging – and rising inflation.
“This means that our products are much more expensive to make.
“We understand that consumers are faced with rising costs too, which is why we look to absorb costs wherever we can, but, in this difficult environment, we’ve had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our medium Cadbury Dairy Milk bars for the first time since 2012, so that we can keep them competitive and ensure the great taste and quality our fans enjoy.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.