A German regional court has found that Mondelēz, the American food giant that makes Milka chocolate, broke competition law by reducing the weight of its popular Alpine Milk bar without adequately informing customers. The district court in Bremen ruled on Wednesday that the company's decision to shrink its classic "Alpenmilch" bar from 100 grams to 90 grams, while keeping the packaging virtually unchanged, constituted consumer deception. The case, brought by Hamburg's consumer protection office (VZHH), marks a significant legal milestone in the growing fight against so-called shrinkflation — the practice of quietly reducing a product's size while maintaining or raising its price.

The bar became one millimetre thinner early in 2025, while its price simultaneously rose from €1.49 to €1.99, an increase of roughly 34%. Mondelēz argued that the new weight was clearly printed on the packaging and that it had informed consumers through its website and social media. The company also pointed to sharply rising cocoa costs — driven by poor harvests in West Africa — as justification for adjusting product sizes. The court acknowledged that printing the correct weight on the label was not in itself sufficient. What mattered, it ruled, was the gap between the actual contents and the "visually conveyed expectation" of a product that consumers had known for years. For such a familiar product, a clear and easily noticeable notice on the wrapper was required for at least four months after any reduction in quantity.

The court introduced a distinction between what it called an "absolute" deceptive package — where packaging size and contents bear no relation to each other, as with half-empty cereal boxes — and a "relative" one, where the deception arises only in comparison to the product's well-known predecessor. The Milka case fell into the latter category. Because the reduction occurred at the start of 2025, the ruling does not require the bars to be pulled from shelves immediately, as the four-month notice period has already elapsed. Mondelēz said it was taking the decision seriously and considering whether to appeal; it has one month to do so. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

The ruling carries broader implications. German consumer advocates say it sends a clear signal to other manufacturers that quietly shrinking products while preserving familiar packaging will face legal scrutiny. The VZHH had already won a similar case involving a reduced-size margarine tub in 2024, after which several companies began labelling reformulated products more transparently with phrases such as "less content — unchanged quality." Milka's Alpenmilch bar had previously been voted Germany's most deceptive package of 2025 by over 34,000 voters — the highest participation in the twelve-year history of the consumer group's annual poll. The brand also received a "Golden Windbeutel" (a Foodwatch award for the year's most brazen advertising deception) last July.

Shrinkflation is not unique to Germany or to chocolate. In the Netherlands, consumer organisations have filed complaints over products ranging from sprinkles packets to beer bottles, though regulatory bodies there have so far lacked the tools to act on historical comparisons. In the UK, consumer group Which? has described shrinkflation as a "sneaky" tactic and notes that chocolate prices rose 14.6% in the year to August 2025. Austria has moved furthest on the issue, introducing legislation this April requiring retailers to flag a worsening price-to-quantity ratio for 60 days. German consumer advocates are now calling on their own lawmakers to consider similar measures, arguing that court rulings alone are insufficient to change industry-wide behaviour.