Freddo chocolate hit by shrinkflation AGAIN as Cadbury slashes the number of bars in £1.40 multipack

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Freddo, the chocolate bar often jokingly cited as a bellwether for rising prices in the UK, has become the victim of 'shrinkflation' once again amid a cut to its multipack offering.
The 18g chocolate bar, produced by Cadbury Dairy Milk, was once priced at 10p per unit but has gradually risen in cost over the years - much to the dismay of chocoholics in the UK.
The single confectionery item, which now costs 35p, has been held up among foodies as the epitome of inflation and a commentary on the state of the British economy.
Now, it has now been revealed that multipacks of the bar have shrunk in size by 20 per cent - but the price of the packs remain the same.
Analysis by The Grocer has revealed multipacks of Cadbury Freddo have been reduced in volume.
The publication revealed that former Freddo 5x18g and Freddo Caramel 5x19.5g multipacks were both priced at £1.40 in Tesco, as of 28 May 2025.
But now the number of individual bars in packs have been slashed, with each now only containing four Freddo treats rather than the previous standard five pack.
Tesco is now selling Freddo 4x18g and Freddo Caramel 4x19.5g multipacks at the exact same price of £1.40.
At the time of writing, Morrisons is selling both old multipacks of five, and new ones of four, for £1.40.
Meanwhile in Sainsbury's, multipacks are still currently five bars large, and are retailing for £1.40.
A spokesperson for Cadbury owner Mondelez confirmed to the publication that manufacturers had cut pack sizes by 20 per cent, blaming 'significantly higher input costs' for the volume decrease.
They said cocoa and dairy costs were now 'far more' and that energy and transport prices were still high too.
The statement read: 'This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges.'
'As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect. '
Just months earlier, fans of the confectionery were left fuming after the 18g frog bar was spotted on sale for a whopping £1.
Analysis by the publication revealed that former Freddo 5x18g and Freddo Caramel 5x19.5g multipacks were both pries at £1.40 in Tesco, as of 28 May 2025. But now the number of individual bars in packs have been slashed, with each now only containing four Freddo treats rather than the previous standard five pack
Last year, to celebrate 200 years of Cadbury, the supermarket giant Sainsbury's temporarily returned the bars to their original price of 10p for Nectar card users.
It comes just two months after the confectionery giant reduced the size of its Twirl multipacks in a similar move to lessen the impact of soaring manufacturing costs.
The publication reported that new packs of Twirls contained nine instead of ten chocolate bar.
Moreover, Mondelez recently replaced 110g packs of Cadbury Crunchie Rocks, Twirl Bites, Wispa Bites, and Oreo Bites with 100g bags.
Last month, Cadbury announced it is launching a new chocolate bar in the UK.
The latest offering from the Birmingham-based confectionary giant is the Iced Latte Dairy Milk chocolate bar.
According to the brand, the snack combines cream and biscuit pieces alongside its Dairy Milk chocolate.
However, the new bar - which is set to launch in early June - won't be around forever.
As a limited edition release, fans of the brand will have to make sure they get their hands on the bar quickly, or they risk missing out on the new flavour.
The bar has a unique twist and it's nothing to do with the flavour - it's all about the packaging.
Cadbury's upcoming bar is wrapped in a temperature-activated packet, which means that when the bar is chilled in the fridge, the packaging transforms.
The brand has used thermochromic technology, to make the classic Cadbury purple change to a deep blue when it gets cold.
As well as its new flavour, Cadbury will be offering four limited edition Dairy Milk bars in the colour-changing packaging.
They will be sold under what it's calling its 'Cadbury Dairy Milk Chilled' range.