Chocolate fans might be disappointed this year as Cadbury’s traditional chocolate Santa Selection box has changed.

The brand has switched out one of the chocolate bars in the box, meaning those who favour it could be left disappointed, especially since it’s been replaced with a smaller bar of chocolate.

Cadbury’s Double Decker bar has been part of the Christmas treat box for years but this year, it will be missing, reports The Sun.

Chocolate fans can expect most of the chocolate bars to be the same but instead of finding a Double Decker, they will see a Caramel Freddo instead, according to the newspaper.

@unwrapwithme Double Decker chocolate #britishchocolate#britlife #britishlife #chocolate #cadbury #doubledecker #doubledeckerunwrapping #unboxingsweets #nougat #fyp ♬ original sound - UnwrapWithMe

That’s not the only change customers will see though as the weight and price of the box, which is often gifted to people at Christmas, are different to previous years.

The Sun reports that the box being sold this year weighs 125g, a decrease of 14% from 145g last year.

In 2018, the box was 169g, making this year’s box more than a quarter smaller.

Three years ago (in 2021), the box was bigger and cost between £1.65 and £3 in supermarkets across the UK.

But now the box of chocolates is available for between £1.75 and £2.75 (at the four main UK supermarkets which The Sun hasn’t disclosed), despite it being smaller.

The newspaper reports that consumer expert Martyn James described the swap of chocolate bars as an “outrageous example of shrinkflation”.

Discontinued UK sweets/chocolates

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  • Cadbury reveals return of 2 discontinued chocolates as part of Christmas range

This term is used when products get smaller but are available for the same price or sometimes an even 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 chocolate box.

Why Cadbury's Santa Selection Box is now smaller in weight

Cadbury is now owned by US company Mondelez and a spokesperson explained the reason behind the higher prices and smaller items.

The spokesperson said: “We understand the economic pressures that consumers continue to face and any changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business. However, as a food producer, we are continuing to experience significantly higher input costs across our supply chain, with ingredients such as cocoa and sugar, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously.

“Meanwhile, other costs like energy, packaging, and transport, also remain high. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges.

“As a result, we have had to make a carefully considered change to the recommended price alongside a small weight reduction to the Cadbury Santa Chocolate Selection Box (125g), so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.”