Toblerone bars in the UK have changed shape and no one is happy about it
Fans of the Toblerone are bitterly disappointed after the company revealed a change to the shape and size of its popular chocolate bar.
Mondelez International, who makes the product, has increased the gaps between the triangles to reduce the weight of two of its bars in the UK.
It claims this is due to a rise in the cost of its ingredients, and opted to reduce sizes rather than up the prices. It didn't actually attribute Brexit.
"We had to make a decision between changing the shape of the bar, and raising the price. We chose to change the shape to keep the product affordable for our customers, and it enables us to keep offering a great value product," Toblerone said on its Facebook page.
The 400g bars are now 360g and the 170g bars are now 150g.
However, the new shape of the bars has angered loyal fans of the mighty Toblerone.
And then they came for the Toblerones, and I did nothing because I was not a Toblerone… https://t.co/5X4IrEWxb0
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) November 8, 2016
Alex Barrett said on Facebook: "it's not aesthetically pleasing and it no longer looks like a premium product."
https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/795896110002896896
Nicholas Barker wrote: "You should have just increased the price. It's not as if people eat Toblerone everyday. You could literally double the price and people would still buy it. Fools."
Read more: Was the Marmite-gate row a PR disaster for Unilever?
I don't want to overreact but…there truly is no God #Toblerone pic.twitter.com/n25W3oRDfo
— Adam Boultwood (@adamboultwood) November 8, 2016
Have you guys seen the state of the new Toblerone? Fuming. What is it going to take for us to riot?
— Lotty Earns (@lottyburns) November 8, 2016
Toblerone said:
Toblerone remains one of the best value and most delicious Swiss chocolate products in the market. This is because we always work hard to ensure we offer value for money for our consumers, but like many other companies, we are experiencing higher costs for numerous ingredients.
We carry these costs for as long as possible, but to ensure Toblerone remains on-shelf, is affordable and retains the triangular shape, we have had to reduce the weight of just two of our bars in the UK, from the wider range of available Toblerone products.
Things are really starting to hit home now…. #brexit #Toblerone https://t.co/nf6bEbKYfC
— Paul Doward (@PaulDowardRadio) November 8, 2016
However, a spokesperson for Mondelez said that the change "wasn't done as a result of Brexit." Walkers and Birds Eye have both said they will hike prices as a result of the drop in Sterling post-referendum.
That's it. I'm done. I don't recognise this country any more https://t.co/uZpPJs8k3P
— Stephen Mangan (@StephenMangan) November 8, 2016
In October a row broke out between Tesco and Unilever over prices to compensate for the fall in the found. Customers feared a Marmite shortage but the panic was over as the two companies reached a deal shortly after.
So, #Toblerone's changed it's look. What next, straightened Curly Wurlys? https://t.co/puFWx3agJM
— John E. Walsh #FBPE #LoveMinsmere 💙 (@akazeeox) November 8, 2016
And it's not the first time chocolate-bar makers have been under fire for changing their products.
Last year Cadbury announced it was shrinking the size of its Roses and Heroes tins, the quantity of chocolate fingers in packets were reduced and Creme eggs would be getting a whole new recipe.
Mondelez also famously removed one of the mountain-like triangles from the Swiss chocolate bar in 2014 so the price would remain at the £1 mark in Poundland.
When will this madness end?