Holland & Barrett has been accused of disparaging women by selling a £3.79 bar of chocolate-covered “menopause almonds”.
The healthy eating giant claims that this candy, which contains all of a woman’s daily allowance of saturated fat, can relieve menopause symptoms and provide “mood support.”
The instructions on the package say that each 75g bar contains “one daily dose”, adding: “We suggest splitting it in two and taking half in the morning and the other at night.”
It boasts of containing vitamin B6, stating that it “contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity.” However, vitamin B6 is naturally present in almonds.
A description on Holland & Barrett’s website describes the product as “a gift that will satisfy your taste buds and lift your mood.”
He adds: ‘Satisfy those chocolate cravings with our delicious bar. Rich dark chocolate is combined with crunchy almonds to create a tasty combination.
Critics have accused Holland & Barrett of “menowashing” by marketing a chocolate bar as a menopause remedy.
The bar contains 100 percent of a woman’s daily amount of saturated fat and nearly a quarter of her daily calories.
Holland & Barrett has previously run a campaign, fronted by TV presenter Cherry Healey (pictured), to support women going through the menopause.
Menopause campaigner Kate Muir called the product “crazy” and accused Holland & Barrett of “menowashing.”
She said: “I really strongly believe that this is exploiting a vulnerable group of women who deserve much, much better than what they would get from a chocolate bar.” I think it shows real contempt.
“Thankfully, I don’t think women are that stupid and I hope they don’t get distracted by ridiculous products like this to make money.”
Anti-menopause activist Kate Muir accused Holland & Barrett of exploiting vulnerable women experiencing menopause.
Ms Muir, author of Everything You Need to Know About Menopause, joked that Holland & Barrett should make a Milk Tray-style chocolate box with chocolates named after menopause symptoms, such as Hot Flush Cream, Brain Fog Truffle and Dry Vagina Swirl.
But she added: “We also need to recognize that this is a hormonal deficiency which is very serious in terms of women’s mental health.” There is a spike in suicide among women in perimenopause.
“Women need to know they can turn to the NHS and get the right help and hormone replacement therapy, rather than relying on chocolate bars and ineffective complementary remedies.”
In addition to chocolate and almonds, the bars contain a small amount of saffron extract, branded ‘Affron’.
The product was tested in a very small trial in 2021, sponsored by its manufacturers, which found that it had no effect on hot flashes or other physical symptoms of menopause.
A small number of women said they felt slightly happier after eating 28 mg (equivalent to the amount of seven Holland & Barrett chocolate bars) every day for 12 weeks.
Each chocolate bar contains 462 calories, almost a quarter of a woman’s daily intake, and 20g of saturated fat, a woman’s total daily intake.
One Instagram user jokingly renamed the bar “depression support for men.”
A reviewer on Holland & Barrett’s website said the bar was not as good as other chocolates available for a similar price.
Furious social media users raged against Holland & Barrett, which has 727 stores in the UK, calling the product “disgraceful” and “ridiculous”.
One person relabeled the bar as “Depression Supporting Almonds for Men” and wrote, “Do you think they’ll be tricked into buying it?”
Another sent a message to the chain saying: “I will not shop in your stores again.” Take your menopause nuts and throw them away.
Someone else wrote: ‘Shameful, disgraceful, outrageous fucking nonsense!’
A fourth person added: ‘Insult to the female race. It’s literally crazy.’
One man joked: ‘Is that for feeding a menopausal woman “at home” to relieve her depression?’
One reviewer wrote on Holland & Barrett’s website: “I don’t know why it’s marketed as menopause chocolate, but I still bought it.” It was okay, but not better than any other chocolate, and not even as good as a leading organic chocolate at the same price. Expensive for what it is and poor value for money.’
The menopause remedies market is currently valued at £472 billion ($600 billion) worldwide. Due to an aging population, it is estimated that 1.2 billion women will go through menopause by 2030.
However, campaigners have warned that these products are often designed to exploit vulnerable women as they are ineffective or based on poor clinical evidence.
A Holland & Barrett spokesperson said its chocolate almond bar is “a snack with added benefits” for women going through menopause.
They said: ‘We have long supported women’s wellbeing and advocate for greater awareness and education around menopause and menstrual health and the options available to support women during this time.
‘Our dark chocolate almond bar with benefits is a delicious dark chocolate with affron, a clinically studied extract that helps improve mood during menopause and contains vitamin B6 to help regulate hormonal activity.
“It is recommended to consume it as part of a balanced and varied diet along with a healthy lifestyle, giving women the option of opting for a snack with added benefits.”
