Shrinkflation Hits as Boxes of Quality Street and Celebrations are Reduced in Size.

Toblerone and Chocolate Orange have also shrunk this year due to rising raw material costs following poor cocoa harvests in Africa.

Tucking into a box of Quality Street or Celebrations is a cherished Christmas tradition, but this year shoppers in the UK are noticing smaller tubs on supermarket shelves.

Toblerone has also shrunk, with a 20g reduction bringing a 360g bar down to 340g. The latest round of shrinkflation has trimmed 50g from Quality Street boxes, reducing them from 600g to 550g, while Mars’s Celebrations tubs now weigh 500g, down from 550g in 2024.

Earlier this year, Nestlé altered the design of some Quality Street sweets. The unwrapped Purple One now weighs 8.46g instead of 9.59g, and the Orange Crunch has gone from 9.06g to 8.72g. Terry’s Chocolate Orange has also shrunk, dropping from 157g to 145g.

Toblerone has faced shrinkage before. In 2016, the gaps between its triangular chunks were widened instead of raising prices, sparking backlash, and the original shape was restored two years later.

Rising cocoa costs, driven by consecutive poor harvests in West Africa (including Ghana and Ivory Coast, which supply over half the world’s cocoa), have pushed chocolate prices up. While cocoa prices have slightly fallen from last year’s record, UK chocolate prices increased by 17.2% in the year to July 2025.

Supermarkets are discounting chocolate tubs for the holiday season, but prices have still risen: last year’s £4 promotional price has climbed to around £4.50.

Andrew Moriarty, a cocoa expert at Expana, explained that despite raw material costs like cocoa butter falling by nearly 45% in sterling terms over the last year, they remain much higher than pre-2024 levels. Suppliers have also sought further price increases in early 2025 due to higher ingredient and production costs.

A Mondelēz International spokesperson said weight reductions, such as those for Toblerone, were a “last resort” due to higher costs for ingredients like cocoa and dairy, as well as energy and transport.

Nestlé stated that Quality Street pack sizes and prices are determined annually based on manufacturing, ingredient, and transport costs, with final prices set by retailers. Mars was also contacted for comment.