High cocoa price

Chocolate shock: these Milka bars are now shrinking

The Alpine milk variety, among others, will shrink on the shelves.(Bild: monticellllo)

Chocolate is becoming a luxury good. The rise in cocoa prices and the high costs of energy, packaging and transportation meant that "the production of our products continues to be much more expensive", explained chocolate manufacturer Mondelez on Thursday. As a result, the packaging sizes of some varieties are now shrinking

"As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to adjust the weight of some of our Milka bars, both in the standard and large bar segments." The company thus confirmed a report in the German newspaper "Lebensmittel Zeitung". 

Among other things, the Alpine Milk variety will shrink on the shelves.(Bild: monticellllo)

Changes "only if it is unavoidable"
The measure affects the Alpenmilch, Noisette, Zartherb and Weiß varieties, among others, whose contents will shrink from 100 grams to 90 grams. The weight of several large bars will also be reduced from 270 grams to 250 grams. Some varieties, such as Dark Milk, Luflée and Oreo Sandwich, already contained less than 100 grams. Mondelez emphasized that changes to product sizes would be weighed up "very carefully" and only made "if it is unavoidable".

Other chocolate manufacturers such as Lindt & Sprüngli and Ritter are keeping the packaging sizes the same, but are adjusting the prices. Cocoa prices on the New York commodity exchange rose by 161 percent last year. In mid-December, they rose to a record of 10,100 dollars (around 9,700 euros) per tonne. Cocoa prices had already risen by 70 percent in 2023.