Milka’s Alpine Milk chocolate bar has been voted ‘Deceptive Packaging of the Year 2025' by the Hamburg Consumer Centre. The product won the negative distinction by a large majority, receiving more votes than any other nominee in the poll’s 12-year history.
Of the 34,731 participants in the online vote, 66.7% selected the Milka bar. The centre stated that never before have its users been in such clear agreement.
The criticism stems from a change at the start of 2025, when the bar’s weight was reduced from 100 to 90 grams while its price increased from €1.49 to €1.99. This represented a net price increase of approximately 48%. The subtle reduction in quantity, barely noticeable from the outside, evidently annoyed many people.
This is not the first time the product has faced scrutiny. In July 2025, the consumer organisation Foodwatch named the same chocolate bar the ‘most brazen advertising lie of the year.’ According to data from the research institute YouGov, Milka’s brand image has suffered since these controversies emerged. Despite this, Mondelez – Milka’s parent company – reportedly increased its turnover by the third quarter of 2025, attributed largely to higher pricing.
The issue extends beyond the award. The Hamburg Consumer Centre has filed a lawsuit against Mondelez Deutschland GmbH, which will now have to defend its actions before the Bremen Regional Court.
