A prominent scientist has sounded an alarm regarding the transformation of cherished British chocolate treats due to recent changes in their recipes.

Professor Tim Spector, a renowned genetic epidemiologist from King’s College London and the mind behind the Zoe health app, has expressed concern over the health implications linked to the reduction in cocoa content in these sweets.

In a recent Instagram update, the nutrition expert drew attention to well-loved products such as Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Club and Penguin biscuits, as well as digestive biscuits.

Surprisingly, the cocoa content in Club and Penguin biscuits has dropped so significantly that they no longer qualify to be marketed as chocolate biscuits under current regulations.

This shift has been attributed by manufacturers to the rising costs of ingredients, most notably the price of cocoa.

Professor Spector shared his insights, stating, “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.”

He continued: “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.”

Regarding the health implications, he revealed that as chocolate content decreases, it’s substituted with other, less healthy alternatives. He explained: “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 watchdog Which? has recently spotlighted concerns about beloved confectionery missing essential components as producers seek cost-cutting measures. Which?

uncovered a diminished quantity of cocoa butter, now below 20%, in White KitKats, rendering them unable to be promoted as genuine white chocolate products.

This comes after popular McVitie’s treats like Penguin and Club bars were found to contain more palm oil and shea oil than cocoa, meaning they can no longer be legally marketed as chocolate biscuits.

McVitie’s white digestives, which contain no cocoa butter, also fail to meet the criteria for a white chocolate biscuit.

Which? Retail editor Reena Sewraz voiced her concerns: “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 spokesperson for Mondelez International, the firm behind Cadbury products, previously stated: “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 Nestle spokesperson explained: “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.”

Concerning the White KitKat, they added: “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 Food and Drink Federation representative stated: “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.”