Big news for biscuit lovers! Two of our beloved lunchbox staples, Club and Penguin, have undergone a recipe shake-up. Thanks to soaring cocoa prices driven by poor harvests in top-producing regions like Ghana and the Ivory Coast, they now contain less of the good stuff. This means they can no longer be officially called ‘chocolate’ and have been relabelled as ‘chocolate flavour’.
This change has also brought about the end of Club’s famous slogan. No more “If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our Club.” It’s been replaced with the less catchy “If you like a lot of biscuit in your break, join our Club.”
Pladis, the company behind these iconic biscuits, made this switch to dodge price hikes without skimping on taste—though they now use more palm and shea oil than cocoa solids. They’ve assured us the taste remains top-notch, despite the tweak.
This transition isn’t exclusive to Club and Penguin. Other treats like Mini BNs and BN Mini Rolls have already been flying the ‘chocolate flavour’ flag. Due to climate change-triggered weather woes, cocoa prices hit a record high recently, making chocolate manufacturing pricier.
A similar challenge is faced by other manufacturers too. Nestlé and other sweet treat producers have all been grappling with cocoa costs, striving to keep their products both delicious and affordable.
What do you think of this change? Will you still join the Club or swap your Penguin for another treat? 🍫🍪