From:Packaging News

Nestlé is fending off growing criticism of the apparent shrinking size of its Quality Street boxes over the years.

The iconic Christmas tins have been hugely popular for decades, with chocolate lovers both enjoying the confectionery and using the tin to store other items over the festive period.

The furore snowballed earlier this week when one consumer – Charlotte Stacey Hook from Washington, Tyne & Wear – posted a picture of the Quality Street tins she has collected over the past 20 years, which clearly showed the shrinking sizes.

“Look how they’ve changed in size from 1998 till 2014! Bring back the big tins! Loyal Quality Street customer!”, Hook wrote on Quality Street’s Facebook page, which has received 85,000 likes.

The latest tin weighs 780g and appears less than half the size of the tin bought nearly two decades ago.

Nestlé has insisted the picture is an unfair comparison as a larger 1.3kg tub is still on sale.

Technically Nestlé is correct – there is a Quality Street 1.3kg tin retailing at around £7 at supermarkets, while the standard size is a 750g tub retailing at £4.

The issue is that decades ago the standard tin looked bigger, and very similar to the 1.3kg tin.

In fact the pack in the 1980’s (above, far left) was a 1.7kg tin.

The end result is consumers feeling they are being short-changed on size and value.

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “This image does not compare like for like. As well as the 780g tub pictured, we also have a 1.3kg tin available which lovers of Quality Street might like to try this Christmas.

“We want to give the best possible value for money and we believe that this product is still extremely competitive.”