Shrinking Milka chocolate bar tricked consumers, says German court
Summary
A German court ruled that Milka’s Alpenmilch chocolate bar misled customers by reducing its weight from 100g to 90g while keeping almost the same packaging. The court said the company should have clearly informed buyers about the change to avoid confusion, as this practice is known as "shrinkflation."Key Facts
- Milka's Alpenmilch bar was reduced from 100 grams to 90 grams.
- The wrapper looked almost the same, causing customers to think they were buying the same amount of chocolate.
- German Bremen regional court found this misled consumers and broke competition law.
- The case was brought by Hamburg’s consumer protection group (VZHH).
- Mondelēz, the maker of Milka, said they informed consumers online and blamed rising costs for the smaller bars.
- The price of the bar went up from €1.49 to €1.99 despite less chocolate inside.
- The court ruled that clear and easy-to-see notice about the size change was needed on the packaging.
- This issue is part of a wider trend called shrinkflation, where companies reduce product size but keep prices the same or higher.
- Another German chocolate brand, Ritter Sport, has also reduced the weight of some bars while keeping similar packaging.
- Shrinkflation affects other products too, like toothpaste, oats, and coffee.
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