Milka guilty of 'cheating' customers in 'shrinkflation' move after reducing thickness of chocolate by 1mm - despite keeping original packaging

A three-week German court case found the manufacturer of Milka's Alpine Milk bar misled customers following the "shrinkflation" move which saw a millimetre shaved off from the signature purple bar.

Despite the bar's weight reducing from 100g to 90g the purple wrapping remained the same - while the price went up from €1.49 (£1.30) to €1.99 (£1.70).

Manufacturer Mondelez said the lower weight was made clear on the packaging - but Hamburg's consumer protection office (VZHH), which brought the case, said keeping the same wrapper meant customers were being deceived.

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Shrinkflation - when manufacturers reduce the size of a product while keeping prices the same - is often used by manufacturers to deal with rising costs.

Chocolate prices have increased dramatically recently, rising by 14.6% in the year to August 2025, according to consumer group Which?. This is due to a global rise in the cost of cocoa following a poor harvest in West Africa.

Bremen regional court ruled that the problem lay in the inconsistency between the contents of the smaller bar and the "visually conveyed expectation" of the product that customers were familiar with.

The court said a "clear, understandable and easily perceptible notice on the wrapper was necessary" to remove the deception.

The court said the verdict was significant because "there is a risk of repetition".

Responding to the ruling - which is not yet legally binding - Mondelēz said it was "taking the decision of the court seriously" and would "look at it in detail now".

The company had claimed consumers were informed of the change via its social media channels and website, which it said was due to rising costs in its supply chains.

However in 2025 German consumers were clearly unpersuaded, voting the Milka Alpenmilch bar "rip-off packaging of the year 2025".

It's not the first time consumer groups and chocolate manufacturers in Germany have battled each other over shrinkflation claims.

German chocolate bar Ritter Sport - which reduced the weight of its chocolate bars from 100g to 75g in May 2026 - is included on the Hamburg VZHH consumer group's list of "rip-off packaging".

The price of the bar is unchanged, and Ritter Sport said customers "prefer the thinner bars".