Shoppers hit by shortage of iconic Cadbury treat as product has been withdrawn from shelves
Keep scrolling to see why Cadbury pulled the item
SHOPPERS have been hit by a shortage of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate after the product has been temporarily pulled from shelves.
Baffled fans of the iconic winter treat have been desperately struggling to find the product.
One said on X: “Is there an issue with your hot chocolate supplies? (Swirl into Milk version) searched high and low in all local supermarkets and there’s none on the shelves!”
Meanwhile Oliver’s Coffee House in Sherborne, Dorset, asked: “Hi there, has your drinking chocolate been discontinued?
“We usually buy the 2kg or 5kg tubs from @BookerCatering but they’ve totally vanished!”
And on Facebook a woman in a Muswell Hill community group revealed how she couldn’t buy it in Tesco, even though the item was on the shelf.
She said: “I wonder if anyone else has been unable to buy Cadbury drinking chocolate?
“For a few weeks, it’s been unavailable..”
Mondelez International, which owns Cadbury, stressed the withdrawal of the product was due to quality – not safety and its chocolate products were safe to consume.
However, stock has mostly disappeared from shops and it won’t be back on shelves until mid-December.
A spokesperson from Mondelēz International apologised to customers and said: “Ensuring our consumers enjoy consistently high-quality Cadbury products is of paramount importance to us.
“We have identified a food quality issue in Cadbury Drinking Chocolate products meaning in some instances the texture and colour of the product may not look as expected.
“As a result, we have swiftly withdrawn affected products from retailers, to make specific improvements to future production.
“This unfortunately means Cadbury Drinking Chocolate products will be unavailable for a short period.”
“We are working hard to get Cadbury Drinking Chocolate back in shops again quickly, and we envisage this will be around mid-December.
“Other hot chocolate products including Bournville Cocoa, Green & Blacks Cocoa, Cadbury Instants and Cadbury Highlights are not impacted.”
If shoppers have a Cadbury Drinking Chocolate that they are not happy with then they should contact the firm for assistance.
ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVES?
Customers can still shop a range of Cadbury drinking products, but if you are looking for a milk chocolate variation you may have to look at getting an alternative.
M&S is selling drinking chocolate you can swirl into milk for £3.50 online at Ocado and in stores.
Tesco also stocks a range of similar products, such as the Twinning Swiss hot chocolate for £5.
Sainsbury’s is also selling a Maltesers Malty Hot Chocolate jar for £3.60 or £3 if you have a Nectar card.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF A PRODUCT IS PULLED FROM SHELVES
CONSUMER reporter Laura McGuire explains what it means when a product is removed from shelves.
Manufacturers can pull products from shelves for a number of reasons.
In some instances, it may mean the item being sold is faulty and can pose a threat to shoppers.
And in other cases, an item may be removed from shelves because of an issue with the quality – this could mean it is not dangerous but not up to its usual standards.
If you are concerned about a product you have recently bought it is always worth getting in touch with the shop you bought it from or the manufacturer.