Choc horror: Why ‘flavour’ bars and small packs are here to stay

Despite cocoa prices falling to a near three-year low and sugar costs dropping by 20%, chocolate-flavored bars and reduced portion sizes continue to dominate the market. This shift has been observed by consumers as manufacturers adjust their products to accommodate lower ingredient costs.

Last year, when cocoa prices surged to record highs, companies began rebranding their offerings, introducing smaller packaging and labeling items as ‘chocolate flavor’ instead of chocolate. This change occurred as cocoa content levels dropped significantly, making it impossible to classify products as milk chocolate under UK regulations.

Rebranding and Weight Cuts

In December, Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars were reclassified as ‘chocolate flavor’ due to their cocoa and milk solids content dropping below the UK’s 20% threshold for milk chocolate. This followed McVitie’s Penguin and Club bars in October, as well as KitKat White and McVitie’s white digestives, which underwent similar rebranding ahead of 2025.

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The Future of ‘Chocolate Flavour’ Bars

The future of ‘chocolate flavour’ bars seems uncertain, with no immediate plans for recipe or packaging adjustments reported by manufacturers. Nestle, which produces Toffee Crisp, Blue Riband, Quality Street, and KitKat, stated there are no current plans to alter product recipes or reduce individual bar sizes.

“We’ve taken all possible steps to mitigate the impact of high cocoa prices and maintain affordability,” the company noted. “Although recent cocoa prices are encouraging, the market remains volatile, so we’re closely monitoring the situation.”

Pladis, maker of The Penguin, Club, and White Digestives, also confirmed no changes are in the pipeline.

Over the past year, some products have seen weight reductions. Celebrations lost 150 grams from 2021 to 2025 while increasing in price. Similarly, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Toblerone each shed 20 grams over four years, and Terry’s Chocolate Orange decreased by 12 grams during the same period, alongside a price hike.

Multipacks have also seen cuts, with some losing a couple of bars. A Freddo multipack dropped from five to four bars, as did Cadbury Fudge packs. KitKat two-finger milk chocolate bars also decreased in quantity from 21 to 18.

The cocoa price decline comes too late to offer cheaper chocolate this Easter, though lower costs might be seen by Christmas, as wholesale cocoa prices reached their lowest since August 2023.

“Dominic Simler of Playin Choc, a UK manufacturer, noted that smaller producers with higher cocoa percentages could benefit from reduced prices, particularly for premium products, if current cost trends persist.”

Although cocoa prices have been falling since May last year, many suppliers are still bound by contracts that don’t account for the recent lows, leading to continued price pressures. Gemma Whitaker from Whitakers Chocolate explained that the company’s purchasing decisions for 2026 and 2027 are still based on higher cocoa costs, with Middle Eastern conflicts potentially driving prices upward.

Meanwhile, multinational producers typically use around 20% cocoa, making them less affected by price fluctuations compared to smaller producers like Playin Choc, which utilize approximately 40% cocoa content.