Nobody panic, but your KitKat and Dairy Milk could be about to shrink
Chocolate lovers could be about to witness some sleight of hand worthy of Willie Wonka – and might want to start stocking up on favourites such as KitKats and Dairy Milk bars.
Sweet-making giants Mars, Nestle and Cadbury owner Mondelez, which make the classic snacks and many others, is said to be thinking of cutting the size of them by 20 per cent.
Read more: Now Cadbury is shaking up this family favourite
The drastic step, according to The Sunday Times, is on the table as a way of falling into line with new rules to tackle childhood obesity due to be introduced by the health watchdog over the next few years.
Public Health England (PHE)wants manufacturers to reduce sugar content in a range of foods by 20 per cent by 2020, and by five per cent in the first year. The two options for achieving this are either by lowering the amount of sugar in the food or by reducing the portion size.
According to the newspaper report, the food companies have spoken with officials at PHE about reducing sizes and Nestle said it was "an effective way of reducing sugar". Neither Mars or Mondelez commented.
Consumers have already suffered from chocolate shrinkage recently as a result of the rising costs of ingredients.
Read more: The six products you're getting less of, but are not getting cheaper
Toblerone lost several of its triangles (causing understandable outrage) while consumer group Which? last year identified several products such as chocolate biscuits and toilet paper which were getting smaller but remained the same price, leaving people short changed.
As for an equivalent 20 per cent reduction in price of your KitKat and Dairy Milk? The companies are apparently still deciding.