"Milka Tablet Wins Award for 'Daring Advertising Stunt'" - Milka Ad Board Accused of Spreading the Most Slanderous Propaganda Falsehood
In a recent poll conducted by Foodwatch, the consumer organization known for its criticism of misleading food marketing practices, the Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate bar was voted the "most brazen advertising trick of the year." The poll, which attracted over 58,000 users, also saw the Milka bar receive around a third of the votes, making it a prime example of what Foodwatch refers to as "shrinkflation."
The reduction in the pack size of the famous purple chocolate bar from 100 grams to 90 grams, which was implemented by the bar's manufacturer, Mondelez, at the beginning of the year, is believed to be the primary reason for this designation. The price of the Milka bar also increased from 1.49 euros to 1.89 euros, resulting in the alpine milk chocolate costing almost 50 percent more per gram.
Mondelez, the manufacturer of Milka, attributes the significant price increase to higher costs for cocoa, energy, packaging, and transport. However, Foodwatch comments that this price hike, coupled with the reduction in pack size, is a clear example of shrinkflation, a term used to describe the practice of reducing the size of a product while maintaining or even increasing its price.
This is not the first time well-known manufacturers have found themselves in Foodwatch's crosshairs. Previous winners of the organization's Golden Windbag award include Danone, Ferrero, Coca-Cola, and Alete (with its sugary "Obsties" product in 2024). The supposedly sustainable smoked salmon from Fish Tales and products like Rama bread spread and Dirtea Glow iced tea by rapper Shirin David were also nominated this year.
The Menstru Chocbar, a chocolate bar aimed at women during their periods, placed third in the Foodwatch Golden Windbag election. The search results did not provide specific information about why the Milka Shrunken bar was named the most brazen advertising trick of the year by Foodwatch and Mondelez International. However, such a designation usually arises when a product is marketed in a way that is perceived as misleading or manipulative to consumers—often involving practices like shrinking product size while maintaining price, creating illusions of value, or using deceptive packaging.
Foodwatch has been using the Golden Windbag award since 2009 to criticize products that, in its view, exemplify consumer deception in the food sector. The consumer center in Hamburg has already criticized the new Milka bar as a "trick package." For a detailed and precise explanation, further information from Foodwatch or Mondelez statements would be required.
I'm not sure I'm right, but it seems the Milka Shrunken bar's designation as the "most brazen advertising trick of the year" by Foodwatch might be due to its implementation of shrinkflation, a business practice where the product size is reduced while maintaining or increasing the price. This could be seen as a lifestyle choice, as consumers are spending more on food-and-drink items like the more expensive Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate bar, which is part of the finance sector.
