Concerns over product quality arise after Cadbury moves Flake manufacturing to Egypt.
Ice cream sellers across the UK are expressing frustration over Cadbury Flakes being too crumbly for use in traditional 99 ice creams. The issue has arisen since the production of the Flakes was shifted to Egypt, with vendors claiming that the chocolate’s quality has deteriorated.
The crumbly texture of the Flakes has made them difficult to use in the iconic 99 cones, as many are breaking during preparation. John Taylor, owner of C&M Creamery Ices, commented: “It’s embarrassing for an ice cream vendor to serve a 99 with a broken Flake.” Others, such as Katy Alston, who runs an ice cream van in Bognor Regis, have been forced to discard large quantities of the product. She noted that sometimes up to 70 Flakes in a single box are unusable due to breakage.
Alston, who is also the president of The Ice Cream Alliance, has decided to stop using Cadbury Flakes this year, calling them “a different product.” She emphasised that customers expect a solid Flake in their 99 and that ice cream vendors’ reputations depend on it.
Lawrence Glauser, from Lorenzo’s Ices in East Yorkshire, also highlighted the ongoing issue, revealing that he has switched to using German chocolate sticks instead. “The German ones are denser and don’t break as easily,” he remarked, adding that customers don’t seem to mind the change.
Cadbury, which has been under the ownership of Mondelez International since 2010, stated that the recipe for the Flake 99 had not been altered, despite the manufacturing move. A spokesperson for Mondelez assured that quality concerns were being taken seriously, and improvements had been made to production processes. They acknowledged that some older stock may still be circulating and assured customers that efforts were underway to resolve the issue.
“We are aware of recent quality complaints and have worked to improve our production to prevent breakages. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and are in contact with our wholesalers to offer support,” the spokesperson said.
