Less choc in your block, same price

Cadbury will shrink the size of its family-sized chocolate blocks to cut its costs.

The announcement’s already sparked fresh controversy on its Facebook page, under the heading ‘‘Next month you will notice something a little different about our Cadbury family blocks’’.

Within minutes, angry comments were pouring on to the page.

As an example of the shrinkage, Cadbury says the Dairy Milk, Black Forest and Old Gold blocks, which are 200 grams, will drop to 180g.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Moro family block will drop from 180g to 175g. But Dairy Milk Bubbly Mint increases from 155g to 160g.

Cadbury marketing director Paul Chatfield said it was a case of either raising prices or cutting block sizes. He called it a ‘‘slight’’ reduction. ‘‘We recognise some Cadbury fans will be disappointed by the smaller block size, so we’re working with our retail partners to ensure we continue to deliver the best value to consumers,’’ he said.

Cadbury has done the downsizing move before, which created a big backlash online at the time.

In 2009, it cut the family block sizes from 250g to 200g. But after customers complained it lifted the block sizes back to 220g in 2013.

That lasted two years – in 2015 it chopped the family-sized 220g blocks to 200g.

It also cut share packs from 200g to 180g, cut baking chocolate chip packets by 30g and single Freddo frogs were trimmed by 3g.

The changes were made with the explanation it was a way to help keep chocolate affordable by cutting costs.