All the chocolates shrinking this Christmas as prices INCREASE leaving customers furious

BRITAIN’S favourite festive chocolates are getting smaller but pricier this year, as manufacturers grapple with soaring production costs.

Household favourites like Quality Street, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Toblerone, and Cadbury Roses have all reduced their sizes while raising prices, according to The Grocer.

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Shrinkflation – where manufacturers reduce product size or quantity but keep prices the same – has become a common frustration for shoppers.

However, this year, festive chocolates aren’t just shrinking – their prices are also climbing sharply.

The price hikes come on the back of record-breaking cocoa costs, driven by poor harvests in West Africa due to dry weather and the spread of diseases like cacao swollen shoot virus.

These challenges, combined with rising energy prices and increased regulatory costs, have left manufacturers grappling with higher production costs.

A spokesperson for the Food and Drink Federation said: “Food manufacturers will have had to make changes to product sizes to continue offering shoppers the products they love at reasonable price points.”

To help you prepare, we’ve listed all the festive favourites that have shrunk and gone up in price compared to last year.

Quality Street

Last month, The Sun revealed that Quality Street tubs have been reduced by 8.3%, shrinking from 600g to 550g.

The number of chocs in the iconic purple tubs has been cut from approximately 63 to 57.

It’s the latest blow for Quality Street fans, who have already seen the pack weight gradually dwindle, from 780g in 2015 to 650g in 2021.

Prices have also risen by 16.7% year-on-year in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons, climbing from £6 to £7, according to The Grocer.

Asda is bucking the trend, selling the smaller tubs for £4.68, cheaper than last year’s larger ones at £6.

Co-founder of bargain-hunting site LatestDeals.co.uk Tom Church said: “At this rate, the tub will quite literally be empty by 2035.

“The shrinking Quality Street tub has become a Christmas tradition.

“The lights go up, the carols play, the chocolates shrink.

“At this point, I think I would rather pop an empty cracker.

“Quality Street? More like a cul-de-sac of disappointment.”

Nestlé, which produces Quality Street, defended its pricing, stating that its 2025 range offers competitive options for customers, though final prices are set by retailers.

Cadbury Roses

Cadbury Roses’ 750g tin has been swapped for a slightly smaller 700g version, representing a 6.7% reduction in weight at Morrisons.

Despite this, the price has surged by 17.9%, increasing from £14 to £16.50 at the retailer.

Last year, Asda offered the larger 750g tins for a limited time at an unbeatable price of just £5.

How to save money on chocolate

We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.

Chief Consumer Reporter James Flanders reveals how to cut costs…

Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.

Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.

Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.

Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.

They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.

Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.

So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange

Terry’s Chocolate Orange has also been downsized, with its weight dropping by 7.6% from 157g to 145g.

At Tesco, the price has soared by 33.3%, rising from £1.50 to £2.

Meanwhile, both Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have increased their prices to £2.50.

Terry’s Chocolate stirred up a debate earlier this month with the release of its brand-new flavour, perfectly timed for the festive season.

Famous for its classic Chocolate Orange, the brand’s latest creation ditches the zesty orange flavour in favour of a rich caramel twist. 

The new flavour is now available at Co-op and Iceland for just £2, but it’s sparked mixed reactions among chocolate lovers.

Toblerone

Large Toblerone bars have been reduced in size by 5.6%, decreasing from 360g to 340g.

Prices have risen by 16.7% to £7 in Morrisons and by 12.5% to £6.75 in Sainsbury’s.

However, Tesco has kept its price unchanged at £6.

A spokesperson for Mondelez, owner of Cadbury and Toblerone, explained that cocoa, dairy, energy, and transport costs remain significantly higher, making price increases unavoidable.

Earlier this year, confectionery giant Mondelez exclusively revealed to The Sun that shoppers will no longer be able to purchase the dark chocolate version of Toblerone in the UK.

A spokesperson for the company stated that it had made the “difficult decision” to discontinue Toblerone Dark bars (360g).

They added: “While we understand that this may be disappointing for some consumers, we continue to invest in Toblerone.”

The announcement is a disappointment for fans of the chocolate, many of whom have previously hailed it as the “best”.