Fury as Cadbury shrinks its classic Christmas Santa Selection box by ditching much-loved chocolate bar - was it YOUR favourite?

By Robert Folker 12:21 17 Oct 2024, updated 12:37 17 Oct 2024

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Chocolate fans will be doubly disappointed this Christmas as Cadbury has shrunk its classic Santa Selection Box by ditching the Double Decker.

The 1970s and 80s favourite chocolate bar has been replaced with a caramel Freddo, which is around half the size.

This year's box weighs just 125g, down by 14 per cent from 145g last year. It is more than a quarter smaller than the box was in 2018, when it was 169g.

But the price has increased.

In 2021, when was bigger, it was available in supermarkets for between £1.25 and £2. This year, it costs between £1.75 and £2.75 at the UK's four main supermarket chains.

Consumer expert Martyn James described the exchange of the Double Decker for a caramel Freddo as an 'outrageous example of shrinkflation' - where companies sell a smaller product for the same or a higher price.

'A Freddo is the lowliest of chocs and is not a fair swap for the majestic Double Decker,' he said, adding that Cadbury had 'ruined' the Christmas classic.

The former British brand Cadbury's, now owned by US food giant Mondelez, came under fire in 2018 for removing the Fudge from the Santa selection box and replacing it with an Oreo bar.

But since U-turning on the move and reintroducing the family favourite in 2019, it has made repeated changes to the box which have left customers short-changed.

The latest move is thought to be the fourth time in six years the chocolate maker has cut the size of its traditional selection box.

In 2020, it shrunk the size of the Fudge in the box by 12 per cent.

Then a year later it cut the size of the Wispa and Double Decker bars, meaning customers got 24g less chocolate, compared with 2018.

Now the 37.3g Double Decker is gone completely, with the replacement caramel Freddo weighing it at just 19.5g.

Overall, there is 44g less chocolate in the box this year than there was in 2018.

It now includes small versions of Fudge, Wispa and Crunchie, a treatsize pack of mini buttons and small Dairy Milk bar and the caramel Freddo.

A 180g bar of Dairy Milk contains more chocolate and costs less at most supermarkets, at between £2 and £2.50.

Mondelez has been approached for comment.

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