Cadbury has made a significant change to some of its chocolate bars as part of a strategy known as shrinkflation. The Brunch bars, usually sold in packs of five, have been reduced in size from 32g per bar to 28g per bar, marking a 12.5% decrease. The smaller bars will be included in packs of Raisin, Peanut, Choc Chip, and Bournville Choc Chip variants, but the price of these multipacks will remain at £1.35. While the multipacks of Brunch Light have maintained their size, the price has been raised by 10p.
A spokesperson for Mondelez, the company that owns Cadbury, explained that they have adjusted the recommended retail price and made slight weight reductions across their core Brunch Bars due to the significantly higher input costs in their supply chain, particularly with ingredients like cocoa and sugar costing more than before. Shrinkflation is a common tactic where manufacturers decrease the size of a product while keeping its price stable to offset rising production expenses.
Research by Barclays revealed that 80% of shoppers had noticed products becoming smaller on multiple occasions as a result of inflation. Over a quarter of consumers have observed items decreasing in size more than once. For instance, some brands of digestive biscuits have shrunk by 28% since 2014 while their prices have surged by 129%, making them among the most affected products. Similarly, certain crisp multipacks have scaled back contents by up to 17% while maintaining the same prices. Breakfast cereal boxes have also reduced their content by as much as 24%.
Additionally, packets of butter have undergone size reductions, with many now containing 200g instead of the standard 250g, yet the price remains relatively unchanged. Manufacturers emphasise that pricing decisions are ultimately determined by retailers.
The move by Cadbury to shrink the size of their chocolate bars amidst escalating costs adds to the ongoing trend of shrinkflation in consumer goods, impacting various products in the market.