Cabury’s Fruit & Nut chocolate recipe change draws angry reaction

Fans of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut chocolate are furious after the company changed the recipe for the first time in 90 years to include sultanas.

Cadbury under US ownership since 2010, said sultanas would offer more variety in addition to raisins and almonds, adding, the results of extensive trials showed that consumers could not tell the difference.

However, aficionados of the product, which hit the UK market in 1926, complained on social media. Simon Barry tweeted:  "I hate cadburys for changing the fruit and nut. Damn the American ownership running perfectly good sweets!"

Tony Chambers, of Leicester, said, ''Another way of using cheaper ingredients to rip the public off, no doubt.''

A Cadbury spokesperson said, ''While raisins have actually traditionally been the fruit of Cadbury Fruit & Nut, sultanas have been brought into the fold to add more variation. It's important we have a flexible supply of the dried fruit we use in our famous Fruit & Nut bars to both retain quality and ensure it's still an affordable treat.''

"It's important we have a flexible supply of the dried fruit we use in our famous Fruit and Nut bars to both retain quality and ensure it's still an affordable treat."

According to the company, bars would contain either raisins or sultanas, but not both. It added during trials 200 adults were unable to tell the difference between sultanas and raisins in the prototype bars.

According to commentators, the change could be due to the rising price of cocoa, but Cadbury denied it saying the size and weight of the chocolate bar would still be the same.

"We are committed to making sure that Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut remains true to what makes it so special - the iconic blend of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, dried fruit and almonds," Claire Low, marketing manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk said, mirror.co.uk reported.