The makers of the KitKat chocolate bar are changing the iconic formula for the first time since 1942 in an attempt to make them a little healthier – but fans aren’t so sure about the changes.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is the message KitKat lovers in the UK are telling Nestle after the company decided to cut the sugar content in the bars by 10 per cent.
The company has made the change in a bid make the chocolate treat healthier to curb increasing pressure from governments over the obesity crisis. The current KitKat contains 213 calories but the new version, which will hit UK supermarket shelves from next week, has only 209 calories.
So is a move like this about to make its way to New Zealand? Well, it is the company’s global commitment to reduce sugar across all its products each year until 2020, and they’ve invested in research to make this a reality without losing consumers.
In December 2016 Nestle Global’s Chief Technology Officer Stefan Catsicas told Bloomberg the company had found a way to cut sugar content by 40 per cent, without affecting taste, and would be looking to introduce this healthier formula across the Nestle portfolio in the coming years.
However, the company understands it needs to make this change gradually, so as not to upset consumers.
“We want people to get used to a different taste, a taste that would be more natural,” Mr Catsicas said.
This is the first time the UK formula has changed since WWII, when a milk shortage altered the recipe.
