Advanced Search

Share Coverage



Category: Consumer Finance / Food and Beverage / Food and Cooking

Tobler-moan: Britons grumble at chocolate bar's post-Brexit shape

Wednesday, 9 Nov 2016 04:56:11

The new style Toblerone Swiss chocolate bar.

The maker of Toblerone Swiss chocolate has widened the spaces in some of its iconic, triangle-array bars, offering about 10 per cent less product for the same price.

Fans are outraged, with many pointing to Brexit as the reason for the reduced size.

But the scaled-down version was prompted by higher commodity prices and had nothing to do with the British pound's plunge in value since Britons voted in June to exit the European Union, manufacturer Mondelez International said.

All the same, a Tobler-moan broke out on social media in Britain as it was the third case in a month in which UK brands have taken steps — including hefty price rises — to offset higher costs for their products in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The multinational says the move, which affects products globally though mainly in Britain, was necessary to cope with higher prices for ingredients.

External Link: Toblerone before and after Brexit tweet

However many consumers are livid at the perceived sleight of hand and the change to the traditional look of the treat, first created in 1908 in Switzerland.

"The shape of the bar may have looked like the Swiss Alps before, now it's a bit more Holland," British consumer Tony Mathews said.

Mondelez International, based in Deerfield, Illinois, said pricing targets by UK discount customer Poundland prompted the change in Britain.

It said the retailer, which sells goods for one pound, resisted a price increase, leading to the solution of offering less chocolate instead.

Poundland declined to comment.

However, it comes as British food retailers have faced rising prices for imported goods due to the drop in the value of the pound since the June vote.

In a shift akin to widening a donut's hole, the tweak in Britain involves shrinking a 170-gram Toblerone sold by British discounters like Poundland to 150 grams, said Mondelez spokeswoman Heide Hauer.

The price remains the same.

It remains unclear if the new bar will be sold in Australia.

External Link: Tweet: @Pastpreservers Oh dear you thought the #Toblerone scandal was bad, see the the post #brexit version!

External Link: Tweet: @EloiseDaleActor This is an outrage!!! You don't mess with the triangles! Those flat bits won't taste the same!

AP/Reuters

AustraliaPlus


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend