US owners of Cadbury 'secretly change' Creme Egg recipe

  • Cadbury

The American food giant that owns Cadbury's is facing strong criticism for "secretly" rolling out a new "cheap-tasting" Creme Egg.

Kraft Foods has replaced the hugely popular Cadbury's Dairy Milk shell with one made from a standard cocoa mix chocolate, according to The Sun newspaper.

A spokesman for Kraft told the newspaper:

The Sun reports that fans of the egg-shaped chocolate treat - first launched 43 years ago- are angry with the change, with one saying online; "the chocolate tastes cheap, like chocolate liquors. I'm so disappointed - they've been my favourite treat for years.

Cadbury's Creme Egg facts:

  • Cadbury's launched its first Creme Egg in 1971

  • The Creme Egg brand is worth an estimated £55m

  • 200 million eggs are sold each year

Bulk buyers of Creme Eggs are also appalled that Cadbury has swapped multi-packs of three and six for packages of five or 12.

200-year-old Cadbury was taken over by Kraft Foods in 2011 following a lengthy acquisition process.

Late last year, Cadbury has decided to stop making chocolate coins, prompting some distraught fans to declare that Christmas should be cancelled.