Mondelez CEO Defends Cadbury Shrinkflation Amid Rising Cocoa Costs
Mondelez International CEO Dirk Van de Put defended Cadbury’s «shrinkflation,» explaining that product sizes are reduced to maintain familiar price points due to rising cocoa costs. He stated this is not to mislead consumers but to ensure continued sales. The company reported $38.5 billion in net revenues in 2025, despite cost pressures.
Dirk Van de Put, CEO of Mondelez International, Cadbury’s parent company, has defended «shrinkflation», stating that chocolate bars are often made smaller because consumers are unwilling to pay higher prices. Speaking on the BBC’s The Big Boss podcast, Van de Put explained that the company aims to maintain familiar price points when cocoa costs increase manufacturing expenses.
Van de Put rejected claims that the practice misleads shoppers, arguing that keeping products at established price points ensures continued customer purchases. Cadbury has previously reduced the size of products like its 200g Dairy Milk sharing bars to 180g, and individual bars from 49g to 45g. Multipack items such as Crunchie, Twirl, and Wispa have also been downsized, partly to reduce calorie counts.
The CEO noted that while stronger harvests have begun to normalize cocoa prices, they remain above historic levels. Mondelez studies consumer purchasing behavior to determine whether to raise prices or reduce sizes. Despite significant cost pressures from rising cocoa prices, Mondelez reported net revenues of $38.5 billion in 2025, up 5.8% year-on-year, with net income reaching $2.45 billion. Van de Put confirmed that changing recipes to cut costs was not an option, emphasizing the importance of maintaining real chocolate in Cadbury bars. He also highlighted climate change as a major long-term concern for the cocoa supply chain.