Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband banned from describing themselves as chocolate

Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband products are now officially described as being as 'encased' in a 'milk chocolate flavour coating’.

They were previously said to be 'covered in milk chocolate'.

Products described as milk chocolate in the UK must contain at least 20 per cent cocoa solids and 20 per cent milk solids.

It comes after the amount of cocoa in their products was slashed due to shortages.

Club and Penguin bars are also now described as ‘chocolate flavoured’ as well. Palm oil, shea oil and vegetable oil are used increasingly to bulk out the products.

Failed cocoa harvests in countries like Ghana and the Ivory Coast have reduced global supplies and pushed up wholesale costs.

Nestlé said the new 'reformulations' to Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars were due to 'higher input costs’.

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “We'd like to assure shoppers that these changes have been carefully developed and sensory tested with taste and quality remaining a top priority.

“Like every manufacturer, we've seen significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products.”

The online description of Toffee Crisp now calls it a “bar of delicious soft caramel and crispy cereal pieces, all encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating”.