Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars no longer qualify as chocolate after conglomerate Nestle changed its recipes.
In order to be officially classified as “milk chocolate” in the UK a product must contain at least 20 per cent cocoa solids and 20 per cent milk solids.
However both of these products have dropped their quantities of cocoa and milk in favour of using a cheaper vegetable fat instead, as reported by The Grocer.
Nestle said these changes were necessary due to the higher input costs but were "carefully developed and sensory tested" and that they do not plan to alter any other chocolate products’ recipes.
The products are now described as being "encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating" rather than being covered in milk chocolate.
A Nestle spokesperson said the food giant had seen "significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products. We continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible".
Many ingredients such as cocoa and butter have become more expensive over the past three years which has led to many food companies adapting their recipes to use less expensive ingredients, as well as reducing serving sizes in a process sometimes referred to as “skimpflation”.
Although cocoa prices have recently eased slightly, a rise in costs over years due to poor harvest and droughts have made the price of chocolates soar, with chocolate prices up 18.4 per cent on this time last year.
“To continue to offer shoppers great value and enjoyment, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the recipes of some of our products. Retail pricing is at the discretion of individual retailers,” a Nestle spokesperson said.
“This update is specific to our Toffee Crisp range and Blue Riband, and there are no plans to make the same change across our other chocolate products.”
McVitie’s similarly made recent reformulations in October to their Penguin and Club bars, which are now labelled as “chocolate flavour” due to the reduced cocoa quantities.
This was the result of their parent company Pladis choosing to use cheaper alternatives to the main chocolate ingredient.
In 2024, supermarkets were also found to have reduced the amount of meat such as beef and chicken in their ready meals in order to save on the costlier ingredients.
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