Two beloved British treats, the Club and Penguin bars, have recently faced a notable reclassification. These iconic snacks can no longer bear the label of ‘chocolate’, due to the minimal cocoa content they now contain.

Cost-saving measures have significantly altered the ingredients of these McVitie’s products, leading to a shift in their composition. The once predominantly cocoa-based coating of these bars is now largely comprised of palm oil and shea oil, pushing them into the category of ‘chocolate flavoured’ rather than true chocolate.

This isn’t the first time McVitie’s has had to make such adjustments. Other products, such as Mini BN and BN Mini Rolls, have also been relabeled to reflect their modified ingredients.

The impact of these changes has extended beyond the ingredient list, affecting the branding strategies as well. The Club bar, known for its catchy slogan, has had to adapt its messaging. What once invited consumers with “If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our Club,” now focuses on the biscuit itself, stating, “If you like a lot of biscuit in your break, join our Club.”

The move has also meant Club has to change its slogan. 

It used to read ‘If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our Club’, but now the brand says: ‘If you like a lot of biscuit in your break, join our Club’.

Skyrocketing costs of cocoa have led the makers of the lunchbox classic to change their recipe without dramatically hitting their customers in the pocket.

McVitie’s owner Pladis said in a statement: ‘We made some changes to McVitie’s Penguin and Club earlier this year, where we are using a chocolate flavour coating with cocoa mass, rather than a chocolate coating.

‘Sensory testing with consumers shows the new coatings deliver the same great taste as the originals.’

Club are now ‘chocolate flavour’ after drastically cutting down on the amount of cocoa used (file photo) 

Penguin bars have also had to make the change – as they are no longer classed as ‘chocolate’ (file photo) 

The price hike in cocoa results from poor harvests from extreme weather conditions over the last three years from key growers, including Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Unusual rainfall and high temperatures saw prices more than double for cocoa futures last year, hitting a record high near £8.20 a kilogram in January, before dropping slightly amid predictions of a more promising harvest and lower demand.

Pladis added it’s committed to ‘delivering great-tasting snacks while minimising the impact of rising costs on consumers, adjusting formulations only when necessary’.

KitKat White and McVitie’s white digestives can no longer be marketed as ‘white chocolate’ due to similar rules around cocoa content – but their recipes changed before this year. 

It comes as some of the UK’s most beloved Christmas chocolates have shrunk this year, new research has revealed.

Despite the smaller sizes, prices have surged by as much as 33 per cent in some instances, and the rising cost of cocoa is partly to blame.

Quality Street tubs are among the sweet treats shrinking in size, going from 600g to 550g.

Although the box has decreased by 8.3 per cent, its pre-promotional price at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons has risen by 16.7 per cent year-on-year, The Grocer revealed.

The outlet noted that at budget supermarket Asda, the price of the 550g tub is cheaper than the 600g one was last year, dropping from £6 to £4.68.

Elsewhere, the 750g tin of Cadbury Roses has reduced from 750g to 700g in Morrisons, but the price has surged from £14 to £16.50.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange has also faced similar changes, and has reduced by 7.6 per cent in size. However, in Tesco, the treat has faced a 33 per cent price hike.

In Sainsbury’s, the orange-flavoured chocolate has risen by 28.2 per cent in price, and by 25 per cent in Morrisons.