Confectionery giant Cadbury has sparked a backlash from shoppers after quietly reducing the size of its popular Mini Eggs bags, a classic Easter treat.
What Exactly Has Changed?
The weight of the standard Cadbury Mini Eggs bag has been cut from 80 grams earlier in 2025 to just 74 grams. Despite this reduction in product, the retail price has largely remained steady at approximately £2, a practice widely known as 'shrinkflation'.
Prices do vary by retailer, with the chocolates listed at £2.36 on the Cadbury website, £2 at Morrisons, and £1.74 at Asda at the time of the change.
Shopper Outrage and Company Explanation
The move has led to disgruntled consumers taking to social media to voice their frustration. One person complained on X, formerly Twitter, directly addressing Cadbury UK: "@CadburyUK are taking the mick now!!! Was 80g last year!!!"
Mondelez International, the parent company of Cadbury, explained the decision to The Sun newspaper. A spokesperson cited significantly higher input costs across the supply chain as the reason.
"Ingredients such as cocoa and dairy, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously," the spokesperson stated. They added that other costs like energy and transport also remain high, making products more expensive to manufacture.
The company claimed it had absorbed costs where possible but faced "considerable challenges" in the current difficult environment. The weight reduction was presented as a measure to keep the product "competitive" without compromising on taste or quality.
Part of a Wider Trend
This incident is not isolated in the confectionery and snack industry. Notably, this past Christmas saw the size of Nestlé's Quality Street tubs reduced from 600g to 550g.
Food policy expert and content creator Gavin Wren highlighted this trend, pointing out that the Quality Street selection has dramatically decreased from 1.5 kilograms two decades ago. "Now I know we are supposed to be eating less high-sugar food, but it's Christmas. And really, how far is this going to go?" he questioned.
A Nestlé spokesperson responded by saying their annual range decisions on size and weight are based on factors including manufacturing costs and consumer preferences, with final prices set by retailers.
The Mirror has also contacted Mondelez for further comment on the Mini Eggs reduction.
