Toblerone fans outraged after gap between triangles is increased to reduce the amount of chocolate in bars
Product makers Mondelez International has increased the gap between the peaks to reduce the weight of the chocolate bars
TOBLERONE have faced a furious customer backlash after changing the shape of its famous distinctive chocolate bars.
Product makers Mondelez International have increased the gap between the peaks to reduce the weight of 400g and 170g bars.
Angry customers branded the move "stupid" and the "wrong decision".
In a statement on the Toblerone Facebook , the company said it had to either change the look of the bars or raise the price.
A Toblerone spokeswoman said: "Like many other companies, unfortunately we are experiencing higher costs for many ingredients.
"We carry these costs for as long as possible, but to ensure Toblerone remains on shelf, is affordable and retains the iconic shape we all know and love, we have had to reduce the weight of this particular bar. "The 150g bar is part of a wider range of available Toblerone products.
"Needless to say that the special recipe of Toblerone stays the same as loved by millions of consumers around the globe.”
They added: "Like all food manufacturers, we sometimes have to make changes to ensure that people can continue to buy their favourite chocolate brands, at affordable prices, whilst also making sure we look after our manufacturing footprint in the UK and the 4,500 people we employ here. This change is only on two bars in the wide range of Toblerone products available with the 150g bar predominantly being sold in Poundland."
Now 400g bars have been reduced to 360g and the 170g bars to 150g, while the packaging size stays the same.
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The reported consumers took to Toblerone's Facebook page to question why the company had decided to make the gaps between the triangles bigger, rather than reducing the length of the bars.
Gary Cornell said: " The new shape ruins the whole experience. Why not keep the shape and have one less triangle? The joy was always in breaking off one triangle at a time."
Nick Savill posted: "So by decreasing the size, you have increased the price per gram and at the same time destroyed the look of the iconic product? Well done, you've killed Toblerone stone dead."
Philip Joseph wrote: "It was the wrong decision. It looks like a really underhanded thing to do.
"You buy a bar expecting a normal bar and it looks like you are getting half the chocolate."
Cathy White added: "It looks dreadful. Think you should've reduced the length and kept the chunky triangles."
There's also been a huge reaction on Twitter under the with some even blaming the change on Brexit.
A spokeswoman for Mondelez, which also owns Cadbury, acknowledged that the foreign exchange rate was currently "not favourable", but : "This change wasn't done as a result of Brexit."
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