War on obesity that will shrink your Magnum and Cornetto
POPULAR ice-creams including Magnums, Cornettos and tubs of Ben and Jerry’s are getting up to a third smaller in a bid to cut calories.
Many summer favourites will shrink in size as manufacturer Unilever introduces a 250 calories cap on its single serving products to help consumers make ‘healthier choices’.
Some products will be dropped altogether, including the 274 calorie Magnum Infinity Chocolate and Caramel, the Magnum Infinity Chocolate and the Cornetto Choc ‘N’ Ball.
The move follows a similar drop in size in products from many of the nation’s favourite confectionary companies – including Cadbury, Nestle and Mars.
But though customers will be faced with smaller portions of their favourite desserts, they can not look forward to an equivalent drop in price.
A small tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will be reduced by 33 per cent from 150ml to 100ml. But its price will fall from £2.04 to £1.50 – a saving of just 26 per cent.
Magnum Almond will drop from 110ml to 100ml while the Magnum Classic will drop from 120ml to 110ml as part of the changes, to be introduced from this spring.
But fans of the chocolate-centred Feast i ce- cream will be pleased to learn the treat is being reduced by just a tiny 2ml, bringing it down to 90ml.
The move comes after Unilever cut calories in its children’s icecreams, including Funny Feet, Twister and Calippo, to 110 calories in 2012.
Noel Clarke, brand building director for ice cream for Unilever UK & Ireland, said: ‘We have introduced this 250-calorie cap to help make it easier for our consumers to make informed and healthier choices when enjoying their favourite ice creams as part of a balanced lifestyle.
‘It was important there be no compromise to taste or quality and that’s exactly what we’ve delivered. Our products will still taste as good as ever.’
Mr Clarke admitted that there was a risk of a customer backlash – but told The Grocer magazine he was confident shoppers would ‘appreciate what we are trying to do ... and buy more’. However other food companies have been criticised for shrinking the size of popular products without a proportionate decrease in price.
Several confectionary companies have reduced the size of their products i n recent years in response to the Government’s obesity drive. In 2014 Cadbury vowed to stop selling chocolate bars over 250 calories, following the same move by Mars, and has cut the weight of its Dairy Milk Bar from 49g to 45g. And a survey that year found Christmas treats, such as Cadbury’s Roses, Nestle’s Quality Street and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Segsations had all shrunk in size while prices had actually gone up.
Rob Brown, of The Grocer, said: ‘Magnum is a formidable brand that has enjoyed strong growth over years. It will be interesting to see whether that will continue after this.
‘[Shrinking size] is a pretty established way of brand owners hitting specific price points, such as £1, for a product and raising their margin at the same time.’
Justine Roberts, chief executive of Mumsnet, said: ‘Issuing singleserving packs that come in at under 250 calories seems sensible enough – although we can’t promise that we won’t eat two.’