Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband no longer called chocolate' after recipe change

"Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars can no longer be called chocolate after Nestle reformulated their recipes due to the increasing cost of ingredients. The Swiss conglomerate now describes the treats as being encased in a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating, rather than being covered in milk chocolate. In the UK, a product needs to have at least 20% cocoa solids and 20% milk solids in order to be described as milk chocolate,"

"a level each product fell below after a higher amount of cheaper vegetable fat was used. Nestle said the changes were necessary due to higher input costs but were carefully developed and sensory tested, adding there were no plans to alter the recipes of other chocolate products. A spokesperson for Nestle said it had seen significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products."

Nestle reformulated Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband, replacing milk chocolate covering with a smooth milk chocolate flavour coating after increasing cheaper vegetable fat in recipes. Both products now fall below the UK thresholds of at least 20% cocoa solids and 20% milk solids required to be described as milk chocolate. Nestle attributed the changes to higher input costs and sensory-tested the reformulations, stating there are no plans to alter other chocolate products. Cocoa prices have surged after poor harvests in Ghana and Ivory Coast driven by extreme temperatures and unusual rainfall patterns linked to the climate crisis. Chocolate prices in Britain rose 18.4% year-on-year.

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