A German court has ruled against the maker of Milka chocolate in a landmark shrinkflation case, finding that shoppers were misled when the size of a popular bar was reduced while the packaging remained largely unchanged.
Bremen regional court concluded that Mondelez violated competition law by cutting the weight of its Milka Alpenmilch bar without making the change sufficiently clear to consumers.
The case was brought by Hamburg’s consumer protection office following complaints about the bar’s reduced size and higher price.
The judgment is being seen as a major moment in the wider debate over shrinkflation, where products become smaller while prices stay the same or rise.
Mondelez told the BBC it was “taking the decision of the court seriously” and would review the ruling in detail.
The dispute centred on the Alpenmilch bar, which was reduced from 100g to 90g.
Although the bar became around one millimetre thinner, the company kept its familiar purple wrapper with minimal visible changes. At the same time, the retail price rose from €1.49 to €1.99 at the start of 2025.
German consumers later voted the product “rip‑off packaging of the year 2025”.
Milka shrinkflation ruling: German court says Mondelez misled chocolate shoppers
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Mondelez argued during the case that customers had been informed via its website and social media, and said rising supply chain and production costs had forced weight reductions across several Milka products.
Lawyers also noted that Milka bars had historically varied in weight between 81g and 100g depending on the range.
However, the court said the issue was not the packaging itself but the gap between what consumers expected and what they actually received.
Judges ruled that shoppers had been misled by the “visually conveyed expectation” created by the wrapper.
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Although the bars look similar in size, they have become thinner
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The ruling said Mondelez must include a “clear, understandable and easily perceptible notice on the wrapper” when product sizes change.
It added that the judgment was necessary because “there is a risk of repetition”.
The decision is not yet final, and Mondelez has one month to appeal.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of shrinkflation across Germany’s food sector. Ritter Sport has also faced criticism after reducing several bars from 100g to 75g earlier this year.
The company described the revised bars as part of a new product range and said research showed consumers preferred thinner chocolate, but the products were still added to Hamburg’s annual list of “rip‑off packaging”.
The consumer group said the list expanded by 77 products during 2025 alone.
Shrinkflation has spread far beyond confectionery, affecting items such as toothpaste, oats and instant coffee.
Chocolate prices have risen particularly sharply, with consumer group Which? reporting a 14.6 per cent increase in the year to August 2025.