Chocolate lovers, rejoice! Cadbury's has launched a new version of its Dairy Milk chocolate bar – and it's better for you. The new version contains 30 per cent less sugar than the original, as part of the industry's efforts to respond to the obesity crisis. And there are further changes in the pipeline, with lower sugar Jelly Babies and Oreos set to follow. It is the first time the Dairy Milk recipe has been changed since 1905, and Cadbury owner Mondelez International described the move as the "most significant innovation in the brand's history".
The new version of the chocolate bar goes on sale on Wednesday, and will sit on shelves alongside the original Dairy Milk. While the sugar content has dropped from 56g per 100g to 39g per 100g, the calorie content remains similar between the two chocolate bars. But how has the sugar decrease been achieved? It took a team of 20 scientists, chocolatiers and nutritionists three year to cut the sugar content without adding any artificial sweeteners, preservatives or colours. "It was not an easy process," a Cadbury's spokesperson confirmed. Some of the sugar has been replaced with fibre in order to maintain the bar's structure and texture, but the taste has been described as "incredibly similar" to the original.
"We've recognised that there is an increasing trend for people wanting to manage their sugar intake and that's why we have worked tirelessly to create a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar with 30 per cent less sugar, which stills tastes great," Katrina Davison, Cadbury brand manager, stated.
Cadbury's first announced its plan to release the new bar last year, after the Government unveiled further proposals to half childhood obesity by 2030. Speaking at the time, Glenn Caton, Mondelez International president for Northern Europe, said the new bar's new recipe was a "trade secret". "It tastes very, very close to the original but a little less sweet," he remarked. "It's been tested extensively on consumers and they love it."