Nestle shrank KitKat bars NINE months ago…but it claim it’s nothing to do with Brexit
NESTLE has shrunk the size of KitKat bars and no-one seems to have noticed - but the chocolate firm claims it’s nothing to do with Brexit.
The confectionery giant said that it began “re engineering” the UK bars at the start of last year, to bring them in line with sizes they already sell in the rest of Europe.
The bars now weigh 41.4g down from 45g - but have remained at the same price.
Nestle claims that the smaller bar has been available in UK shops for nine months.
The new lower weight was spotted by journalist .
He said: “KitKat has shrunk from 45g to 41.5g. Apparently happened 9 months ago, says @Nestle. Hmmm. Feels so much smaller.”
RELATED STORIES
A spokesperson from Nestle told The Sun Online: We began standardising KitKat bars across the whole of Europe at the beginning of last year.
“They started appearing in shops nine months ago. We have invested in our factories and are continuing to invest in our brands.
“We try not to pass on charges to consumers unless we absolutely have to”.
Just a week ago, Nestle boss Dame Fiona Kendrick promised that the four-fingered snack would not be reduced to three bars to lower costs.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Not while I’m sitting here as chairman and CEO.
“We want to make sure that Nestle does everything it can to try and save costs and to ensure that we absorb as much as possible ourselves.”
Yesterday, the Sun Online reported that the secret ingredient in the middle of the popular chocolate bar is actually smashed-up KitKats.
Sub-standard bars are removed by quality control teams during the manufacturing process and rather than throwing away the duds, the rejected bars are recycled back during production.
In November, Toblerone maker, Mondelez International faced a furious backlash from chocolate fans after changing the shape of its distinctive bars.
It increased the gap between the peaks to reduce the weight of a 400g bar to 170g.
Grab-bag size bars of Maltesers and Galaxy Counters have also dropped in size. The “snack size” products are made by Mars who blamed the change on the higher cost of raw materials.
The practice, dubbed “shrinkflation” has been blamed on the changes in the value of the pound since the UK voted to leave the European Union earlier this year.
The value of sterling has fallen by up to 18 per cent against the dollar and the euro, putting pressure on manufacturers and retailers, as the cost of making and importing goods rises.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.