Christmas chocolate selection boxes have shrunk by FIFTH in last five years

CHRISTMAS chocolate selection boxes have shrunk by a fifth in the last five years, the Sun can reveal.

Families are getting less chocolate for their money in tubs of Roses, Quality Street, Heroes and Celebrations.

The tubs contain up to 21 per cent less chocolate than they did in 2014 but prices in supermarkets have stayed roughly the same, around £5 a box.

Five years ago, a tub of Cadbury’s Roses contained 753g of chocolates and Cadbury’s Heroes held 760g but this Christmas both tubs hold just 600g of treats - 21 per cent less.

A tub of Nestle’s Quality Street had 780g of sweets inside in 2014 but now contains just 650g, a 17 per cent reduction.

Tubs of Celebrations, made by Mars, have also shrunk from 750g to 650g, a 13 per cent loss.

Experts blame the loss on “shrinkflation” – where manufacturers save costs by selling less of a product for the same price.

Shrinkflation has affected thousands of everyday products but Brits’ Christmas favourites are particularly hard-hit as manufacturers compete to keep prices low.

Some products are shrinking every year, such as Quality Street tubs which were 70g larger last year and 100g larger the year before compared to this year’s size.

IMPACT OF 'SHRINKFLATION'

Heroes contained 60g more chocolate last year and 95g more in 2017 compared to today. A decade ago families got far more for their money.

In 2008, a tin of Cadbury’s Roses contained 1.05kg of chocolates – around two thirds more than the current tub.

And a family box of Cadbury’s Heroes held 950g of chocolates in 2010, 58 per cent more than this year’s version.

Quality Street’s main Christmas offering in 2009 was tins containing 1.1kg of chocolates. Nestle said there had been no reduction in size because large tins are still on sale at stores like John Lewis for £7.50, although the cheaper, smaller tub is now more common.

Consumer rights expert at Which?, Adam French, said: “In recent years, we’ve seen a trend of popular products - including festive chocolates - reducing in size while their prices remain the same.

“While manufacturers and retailers may have legitimate reasons for changing the size of a product, they must be upfront about any changes so consumers can make informed choices about how they spend their hard-earned cash.”

But the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the food industry, said manufacturers had faced “cost pressures” in recent years due to increases in the cost of ingredients, the weaker pound and costs incurred preparing for Brexit.

A Cadbury’s spokesman said: “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.”

Mars said it had had to make the “difficult decision” to reduce the tub weight because of rises in operations and raw materials costs.

A Nestle spokesman said: “We refresh the Quality Street range every year so formats and weights do change regularly. Our 2019 tub comes with a lower recommended retail price than our tub from five years ago.”

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