Cadbury's Creme Eggs have become the latest product to face backlash after a recipe change by its US owner, Mondelez International. The chocolate shell is now made from 'standard, traditional Cadbury milk chocolate' rather than Dairy Milk, prompting an online outcry from fans.
Mondelez, owned by Kraft Foods, has also altered packaging, introducing five-egg packs alongside singles and 12-packs, replacing the previous three and six-egg options. A spokesman insisted the 'fundamentals' remain the same, noting that Dairy Milk may have been used in recent years but was never advertised as such.
The Creme Egg, first sold in the UK in 1971 and available only from January to Easter, joins a long list of recipe changes that have provoked consumer anger. Notable examples include Coca-Cola's 1985 New Coke fiasco, Kellogg's Special K recipe change in 2013, and Twinings' 2011 alteration of its 180-year-old Earl Grey recipe, which was later reversed.
Other changes include Cadbury's Milk Tray in 2012, United Biscuits' fat reduction in McVitie's Digestives in 2009, and Heinz's salt reduction in HP Sauce in 2010. The latter even led chef Marco Pierre White to send back his meal at a London pub in 2011, complaining about the sauce.
