Professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London concerned that health cacao replaced with cheaper, less healthy, alternatives
A scientist has sounded a warning over some of the UK’s favourite chocolate treats which have had their recipes changes in recent years. Tim Spector professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the Zoe health app said the trend to reduce the cocoa content actually represents a health threat.
In a new post on Instagram today the food health expert highlighted treats like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Club and Penguin biscuits and even digestives. In the cases of clubs and penguins they can no longer even be called chocolate biscuits because the cocoa content is so low. The issue has arisen because the price of ingredients such as cocoa has gone up so much, the manufacturers say.
Professor Spector said: “I’ve got some news for you. Two of the most iconic chocolate biscuits in the UK are no longer chocolate. Now I was brought up on these guys and had no idea that one day they would no longer be able to be called chocolate because the amount of chocolate in them was so small, they now have to be called chocolate flavoured biscuits.
“So as the percentage has gone less than 20%, we are seeing a real difference in these products, and it isn’t just confined to these biscuits. You see the same in class. Or digestive biscuits, you’re seeing that in Dairy Milk Chocolate.”
On the heath impact he explained that once chocolate levels go down, it’s replaced by other, more unhealthy, alternatives. He said: “Each time the percentage of real chocolate goes down, it’s filled in with other unhealthy fats which are not only cheaper, but they are worse for us.
“So this is a trend that has been steadily getting worse over the years as manufacturers are trying to fool us by reformulating, and this means that instead of getting the original goodness of the chocolate, if you remember, is a fermented bean that is extremely natural and has things like fibre, it’s also got flavanols and polyphenols that are good for our gut microbes, and it’s got nutrients like magnesium and other good things about it, replacing that with stuff that’s really got nothing beneficial for us and actually very harmful.
“So the next time you pick up some chocolate, do try and go for the ones that the major part of it is actually cacao. And so anything over 70%, you know, is gonna be on whole better for you than all this other stuff, which really isn’t chocolate at all.”
Consumer group Which? recently highlighted reports of some of the nation’s favourite treats missing key ingredients as manufacturers find ways to cut costs. Which?discovered a reduced amount of cocoa butter, now less than 20%, in White KitKats, meaning they can no longer be marketed as a white chocolate product.
This follows McVitie’s favourites including Penguin and Club bars now containing more palm oil and shea oil than cocoa, meaning they can no longer be lawfully sold as a chocolate biscuit.
McVitie’s white digestives do not contain any cocoa butter at all and so can also not be marketed as a white chocolate biscuit.
Which? Retail editor Reena Sewraz commented: “Households are already under immense financial pressure with food bills inching up and the expense of Christmas looming on the horizon, so it can feel especially sneaky when manufacturers quietly reduce pack sizes or downgrade key ingredients.”
A representative for Mondelez International, the company behind Cadbury products, has previously 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 dairy, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously.
“Meanwhile, other costs like energy 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 of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Fudge and Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.”
A spokesperson for Nestle commented: “Like every manufacturer, we have seen significant increases in the cost of coffee, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products.
“As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible. To maintain the same high quality and delicious taste that consumers know and love, it has sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the weight or size of some of our products.
“Retail pricing is always at the discretion of individual retailers.”
Regarding the White KitKat, he went on to say: “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. As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible.”
A representative for the Food and Drink Federation commented: “Cocoa prices rose sharply last year, reaching a 45-year high. Alongside other rising costs, such as national insurance increases and a new packaging tax, manufacturers are paying nearly 40% more for ingredients and energy than they were in January 2020.
“As a result, in some cases food manufacturers will have had to make changes to products to continue offering shoppers the food and drink they love at reasonable price points.”
