Sweet-toothed shoppers might have noticed their favourite chocolate treats getting smaller, as Mondelez and Mars Wrigley have shrunk pack weights across a swathe of big-name brands.
Despite this, shelf prices have remained the same or risen in some cases, according to The Grocer’s analysis of Assosia data [12 w/e 24 February 2025].
Cadbury Oreo Bites Chocolate Bag 110g, for instance, has been replaced by a 100g version in Tesco, with the shelf price sticking at £1.75.
In Sainsbury’s, M&M’s Chocolate More to Share Pouch 220g has been replaced with a 200g version, with the price sticking at £3.60.
Both of these examples are equivalent to a 10.1% price increase per gram of product.
Galaxy Minstrels Pouch 125g has been swapped for a 118g pack in Asda, with the price remaining stable at £1.75, equivalent to a 10.8% price increase.
In Morrisons, Revels Large Pouch 205g has been replaced by a 185g version, with the price increasing from £2.75 to £3.30, equivalent to a 33.1% increase on shelf price per gram.
Shrinkflation in Cadbury’s. Down to 100g. Always suspicious of ‘new’ lines in sharing bags….. pic.twitter.com/40PdSoAxmm
— Steve Dresser (@dresserman) February 24, 2025
Retail advisor and Grocery Insight CEO Steve Dresser first highlighted Mondelez’s and Mars Wrigley’s recent “shrinkflation” moves in a series of X posts published this week.
Dresser posted photos of shelf-edge labels in Tesco, which signposted the “new” 100g formats for Cadbury’s Crunchie Rocks, Twirl Bites, Bitsa Wispa and Oreo Bites, 118g and 195g pouches for Galaxy Minstrels, 112g pouch for Peanut M&M’s and 93g pack for Maltesers.
Another photo posted by Dresser to X showed the former 110g formats of Cadbury Twirl Bites and Oreo Bites stocked on Tesco’s “reduced to clear” shelf.
A ‘last resort’
When approached by The Grocer, Mondelez and Mars Wrigley both confirmed they had shrunk packs to mitigate soaring input costs.
“We understand the economic pressures that consumers continue to face and any changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business,” said a spokesman for Mondelez.
“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.
“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 some products so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.”
A spokeswoman for Mars Wrigley said: “Our focus is always on offering great-tasting, high-quality chocolate at the best possible value.
“We have been actively looking at ways to absorb the rising costs of raw materials and operations, but unfortunately, the growing pressures mean that more needs to be done.
“Reducing the size of some of our products, whilst raising prices, is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite treats without compromising on quality or taste.”
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said: “While prices can go up and down for a range of reasons, we’re committed to offering our customers great choice, quality and value when they shop with us.”
Tesco and Morrisons declined to comment. Asda had not responded to requests at the time of publication.
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