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Quality Street, Celebrations, And Roses Tins Shrink AGAIN

Quality Street, Celebrations, And Roses Tins Shrink AGAIN

People aren't happy after discovering the new sizes and realising they're getting less chocolate.

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa Pearlmen

Christmas is the time of giving and caring - of spreading joy to friends and neighbours and being selfless rather than selfish. Or at least, it's meant to be.

But if you're a chocolate manufacturer, it seems like you're maybe prone to acting like a scrooge instead - at least according to the shrinking size of Quality Street, Roses and Celebrations tins.

A standard sized Quality Street tin has dropped from 750g to 720g, while Celebrations have also magically shrunk by 30g, from 680g to 650g.

As reported by The Sun Robert Opie, who set up the Museum Of Brands in London's Notting Hill, warned about the negative effects on companies if they continue to reduce the size of their chocolate boxes.

"Consumers are outraged by shrinkflation," he said. "These brands are trusted - we have grown up with them. You change the weight [of boxed sweets] at your peril.

Boxes of Quality Street have been reduced by 30g.
Nestle

"Part of the tradition is that you pass around the tub among your family. And suddenly now you find it has been emptied quicker than you thought. Then the grumbling starts.

"If the manufacturers carry on doing it they're going to risk riots in the streets."

While that might be overstating it slightly - although, like football, chocolate is a matter that's much more important than life or death - he's definitely got a point. No-one likes the feeling they're being ripped off - especially around this time of year when we're all shelling out our hard-earned cash to buy loved ones presents.

The chocolate manufacturers aren't taking the criticism lying down, though. Mars and Mondelez, the company that owns Cadbury, have both said they reduced the weight to make the treats affordable.

Tubs of Celebrations have been cut by 30g.
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Nestlé, who produces the Quality Street tins, had a different approach. They admitted that some of the chocolates have a high calorie content so there are less included in the box to stick to the allowed nutritional value. Neither of which are very good excuses if you ask us.

The controversy over tin sizes escalated earlier this week after Charlotte Stacey Hook from Washington, Tyne & Wear posted a picture of Quality Street tins she's kept over the last two decades.

She wrote on Quality Street's Facebook page: "Look how they've changed in size from 1998 till 2014! Bring back the big tins! Loyal Quality Street customer!"

The post has since received more than 85,000 likes. And no wonder - people love chocolate!

While the latest tin in the picture weighs 780g - about half the size of the tin bought in the late '90s - Nestlé have said it's an unfair comparison, as a larger tin weighing 1.3kg is still on sale and retails at about £7, compared to £4 for the smaller tub.

However, it's also true that decades ago the standard sized tin did look bigger, and was very similar to the 1.3kg tin.

So despite what they say, we're probably being fleeced. But at least our waistlines will be slightly better off.

Featured Image Credit: Nestle/Mars

Topics: Food, UK News