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Snuggling up by the fire with a box of chocolates in hand – what more could you ask for at Christmas?
But this festive season may not be as sweet as before, as a shocking new study has revealed that the weight of tubs of chocolate has decreased significantly since 2009.
The Spin Genie UK team analyzed Britain’s top four chocolate selection boxes – Heroes, Celebrations, Roses and Quality Street – to reveal how they have decreased in size over the last 15 years.
This year, they are priced at around £6 in major UK supermarkets.
In 2009, the boxes were priced higher, costing around £10 each.
While today’s bathtubs may seem more affordable, they offer less indulgence per pound than in the past.
In 2009, across all containers combined, the average weight per pound was 101.25 g, while in 2024 it will be 93.25 g.
The numbers don’t lie: our favorite holiday treats have shrunk, offering fewer treats in each box.
In 2009, across all containers combined, the average weight per pound was 101.25 g, while in 2024 it will be 93.25 g.
This year, the weight of the Heroes and Celebrations is 550g, while the Quality Street weighs a little more at 600g.
Compared to 15 years ago, Heroes (975g), Celebrations (975g) and Quality Street (1,000g) are down 43.5 percent, 43.5 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
The worst offender? Cadbury’s Roses, which once weighed 1100g in 2009 and now weighs just 550g.
In other words, the beloved tub of chocolate, with classic flavors like Strawberry Dream and Golden Barrel, has shrunk in size by 50 percent in just 15 years.
If you buy a jar of Roses for £6 this year, expect it to only contain 52 chocolates.
This makes the price of Roses chocolate 11.53p, the most expensive option this year.
In comparison, the Heroes selection box contains around 59 chocolates (10.17p per chocolate) and Celebrations contains around 60 chocolates (10p per chocolate).
The cheapest option this year is Quality Street, which offers around 65 chocolates for 9.23p a piece.
The Spin Genie UK team analyzed Britain’s top four chocolate selection boxes – Heroes, Celebrations, Roses and Quality Street – to reveal how they have decreased in size over the last 15 years.
The cheapest option this year is Quality Street, which offers around 65 chocolates for 9.23p a piece.
2024 Chocolate Selection Box Breakdown
Source: Spin Genie UK
Heroes
This year, a box of Heroes weighs 550g. In 2009 it weighed 975 grams.
It contains around 59 chocolates and nine different flavors, including:
10 pieces of Dinky Deckers; 8 pieces of eclairs; 7 pieces of fudge; 7 pieces of Dairy Milk; 6 pieces of Crunchie Bits; 6 pieces of Wispa; 6 pieces of dairy milk caramel pieces; 5 pieces of Creme Egg Twisted and 4 pieces of Twirl
Price per chocolate: 10.17p
Celebrations
This year, a box of Celebrations weighs 550g. In 2009 it weighed 975 grams.
It contains around 60 chocolates and eight different flavors, including:
10 pieces of Snickers; 10 pieces of Milky Way; 9 pieces of Mars; 7 pieces of Maltesers Teasers; 6 pieces of Twix; 6 reward pieces; 6 pieces of Galaxy Chunk and 6 pieces of Galaxy Chunk Caramel
Price per chocolate: 10p
roses
This year a box of Roses weighs 550g. In 2009 it weighed 1,100 g.
It contains around 52 chocolates and nine different flavors, including:
7 pieces of Hazelnut in Caramel; 7 pieces of Strawberry Dream; 7 pieces of cow’s milk pieces; 6 pieces of Hazel Whirl; 6 pieces of Golden Barrel, 6 pieces of Candy; 5 pieces of Spicy Orange Cream; 5 pieces of Country Fudge; 3 pieces of signature truffle
Price per chocolate: 11.53p – this year’s most expensive option!
quality street
This year, a box of Quality Street weighs 600g. In 2009 it weighed 1,000 g.
It contains around 65 chocolates and 11 different flavors, including:
8 pieces of fudge; 7 pieces of Strawberry Delight; 7 pieces of Toffee Finger; 7 pieces of Toffee Penny; 7 pieces of Caramel Swirl; 7 pieces of Orange Cream; 5 pieces of Coconut Eclair; 5 pieces of The Purple One; 4 pieces of Crunchy Orange Chocolate; 4 pieces of Milk Choc Block and 4 pieces of The Green Triangle
Price per chocolate: 9.23p – the cheapest option this year!
This Christmas, Quality Street has also made a notable change to its packaging – replacing its traditional plastic tub and wrappers with recyclable paper-based alternatives.
The new wrappers maintain the brand’s characteristic colors but with a more ecological touch.
But eagle-eyed customers have noticed that the size of one particular treat included in the Quality Street box has shrunk.
The Purple One, which is a milk chocolate containing pieces of caramel and hazelnut, now weighs 8.4g, compared to its previous weight of 9.6g.
Nestlé, which produces the legendary selection box, has reduced the size of its purple hazelnut chocolate by more than a tenth.
It seems no brand is safe from shrinkage.