British fans of the iconic Quality Street chocolates are expressing outrage as shrinkflation reaches a new milestone, with the weight of a small plastic tub being slashed to a record low of just 550g this year. The modern container holds a mere 60 individual sweets, a stark contrast to the festive bounty of decades past.
The Vanishing Tin: A Timeline of Shrinkage
The decline of the Quality Street offering has been steady and significant. In the 1980s, deep, colourful metal tins weighed a hefty 2.5kg and were packed with more than 100 sweets, often lasting families for weeks after Christmas. Adjusted for inflation, that £5 tin would cost around £30 today.
The shrinking trend continued relentlessly: down to 1.5kg in the 1990s, 1.35kg in the early 2000s, 1kg by 2010, 780g in 2013, and 650g by 2019. The switch from metal tins to plastic tubs occurred in 2013. This year's cut to 550g marks the smallest offering in the brand's long history.
One family's annual Christmas count reveals the dramatic drop in quantity. The number of chocolates has more than halved from 137 in 2006 to just 60 in the current tub. Popular TikToker Penny Melson confirmed this year's count was down from 67 in 2023.
Lost Sweets and Consumer Backlash
The reduction isn't just in weight and count; beloved varieties have disappeared from the mix over the years. Fans mourn the loss of the chocolate toffee cup, hazelnut éclair, fig fancy, almond octagon, gooseberry cream, and coffee cream.
Shoppers have taken to social media to voice their frustration. A consumer from Cornwall tweeted: 'Quality Street has shrunk dramatically over the years, cheap plastic has replaced the good old tins... Though the price doesn't seem to shrink with everything else.'
Another complained: 'There's more tub than sweets these days - and they should drop the word "quality". The wrappers may be environmentally friendly but selling a few ounces of sweets in a large plastic tub every year most certainly isn't.'
The Cost of Cocoa and Supermarket Price Wars
This shrinkflation occurs against a backdrop of soaring costs for manufacturer Nestlé. Chocolate prices are being driven up by a record-high surge in the cost of cocoa beans following poor harvests in West Africa. Data from Worldpanel by Numerator shows average supermarket chocolate prices are now up 18.4% compared to last year.
Despite the shrinking product, prices vary widely across retailers. The 550g tub is most expensive at Morrisons (£7.00) and cheapest at Iceland (£3.95). Other prices include £6 at Sainsbury's, £4.50 at Tesco, and £4.39 at Lidl.
Reena Sewraz, Retail Editor at Which?, told the Daily Mail: 'The problem with shrinkflation is that when supermarkets and manufacturers quietly give shoppers less for the same price or more, they feel cheated.' She advises consumers to check the price per 100g to ensure they are getting the best value.
A Nestlé spokesman stated: 'Each year we introduce a new Quality Street range with formats, sizes, weights and RRPs based on a range of factors including the cost of manufacturing, ingredients and transport and customer preferences. We think our 2025 range and pricing is competitive.'
As the cost-of-living crisis continues, the ever-shrinking Quality Street tub has become a potent symbol of how festive traditions are being reshaped by economic pressures, leaving consumers yearning for the overflowing tins of Christmases past.
