Milka Alpenmilch Chocolate has increased its prices in a non-transparent manner, say consumer advocates. 90 instead of 100 grams for 1.99 instead of 1.49 euros.
afp/taz | The “deceptive package” of the year from a consumer perspective is Milka Alpenmilch Chocolate. In an online vote, two thirds of the votes fell on the product from Mondelez, as the Hamburg consumer advice center announced on Wednesday. At the beginning of 2025, the chocolate bar became thinner and at the same time more expensive: the filling quantity per bar fell from 100 to 90 grams and the price rose from 1.49 to 1.99 euros.
According to the consumer advice center, more consumers took part in the vote than in six years – 34,731 people cast their votes. Never in the twelve-year history of the election has a product achieved such a high share of the vote. “The voting result is a lesson that could hardly be given more clearly,” explained Armin Valet from the Hamburg Consumer Center.
The voting began on January 5th and the choice was Milka chocolate, a baking mix from Dr. Oetker, a muesli from Kölln, a ready-made pasta meal from Knorr and coffee sticks from Jacobs. The selection is based on the consumer advice center’s “deceptive packaging list”, which lists products for which manufacturers or retailers have increased the price in a non-transparent manner, usually through smaller filling quantities while the price remains the same or even increases.
At the beginning of September, the consumer advice center also filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer Mondelez against the manufacturer Mondelez at the beginning of September and argued that there was no “clear” indication of the reduction in content. Negotiations will take place in April. The consumer advice center wants to find out legally whether the reduction in filling quantities was “not only annoying, but also misleading”.
Higher cocoa prices
Mondelez had a say in the decision high purchasing costs defended: “For example, cocoa prices have almost tripled in the last twelve months and reached a record level,” explained spokeswoman Jenny Linnemann last September. Other costs, such as those for energy, packaging and transport, also remained high, making the production of the products significantly more expensive overall.
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