While the production of a much-loved chocolate bar has moved back to Australia, consumers will be getting less than what they paid for.
Mars Wrigley Australia, which also makes Maltesers, Twix, M&Ms and Mars Bars, has moved its Snickers production facility to Ballarat in the Victoria region after the plant closed for upgrades. During this period, they were made in the Chinese city of Jiaxing, near Shanghai.
However, while the new Australian-made treats will still set you back $2, the locally-made bars have been reduced to 44g, while those produced in China were 50g.
Currently, customers can still find the 50g bars at Woolworths, while Coles has transitioned to 44g bars.
In a statement to news.com.au, a Mars Wrigley spokesperson confirmed that the ingredients and formulation of Snickers have remained the same, despite the factory change.
They said the decision to downsize Snickers bars was due to “unprecedented cost pressures” on the company’s operations and was driven “by a variety of external factors.”
“While we continue to absorb cost increases, there is sometimes a need to change product weight to ensure we can continue to supply our beloved chocolate bars to Australian consumers,” they said.
While news.com.au has reached out to Coles and Woolworths for comment, spokespersons for the supermarket chains declined to comment.
Mars Wrigley Australia is one of Australia’s largest confectionery manufacturers along with Nestlé Australia and Mondelez Australia, which produces Cadbury, Milka and Toblerone.
In May 2021 the company was criticized for moving its Snickers factories overseas, however they confirmed that the move would be temporary with local production resuming in late 2022.
In a TikTok video shared by @thatjeremytoh in May 2021, users vowed to boycott the Peanut Nougat Caramel Chocolate Bar because of the move.
“No more giggling for me now…” one user wrote.
“I will never buy one of those again,” shared another.
A Mars Wrigley spokesman said that during the time Snickers production moved to China, the company was able to invest in new technology and factory upgrades at its Ballarat site. “These upgrades have been completed and as of August this year we will begin manufacturing Snickers in Australia,” the spokesman said.
“As a proud Australian manufacturer, wherever possible we make our products locally at our two manufacturing sites in Ballarat and Asquith. Our Ballarat factory has been producing some of the country’s most beloved brands, including M&Ms, Maltesers, Mars, Snickers and Pods, for more than 43 years.”
The Snicker debacle in Taiwan
Recently, Mars Wrigley has also faced backlash, with fans threatening to boycott the brand over the launch of a limited-edition Snickers bar featuring South Korean boy band BTS. While the product was launched in South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan, mainland Chinese customers took offense at the brand for referring to Taiwan as an independent nation.
While China and the Chinese Communist Party believe that Taiwan belongs to the Republic of China, the island nation is run by a democratically elected self-government.
In response to the criticism, Mars Wrigley quickly posted an apology on his Snickers China Weibo account.
“Mars Wrigley respects China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and conducts business in strict compliance with local Chinese laws and regulations,” the post read.
However, Mars Wrigley faced more backlash, with people accusing the company of giving in to “thugs.”
Some social media commenters also used the hashtags #Taiwanisacounty and #TaiwanIsNotChina in their posts targeting the confectionery giant.
“OMFG #Taiwan IS (sic) a country! Unless you think it’s a paint stain on a map! one user tweeted.
“Taiwan has its own democratically elected president and parliament, army, currency and passport. If it’s not a country then I don’t know what it is,” tweeted another.
“I’m going to buy Chokito now,” another user tweeted, referring to Nestle’s equivalent of a Snickers bar.
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