Mars Bars: Value packs made at Ballarat factory slashed by 40g

Chocolate lovers are being ripped-off by a confectionery giant which has slashed the size of its sugary treats, but hasn’t dropped the price.

Mars and Milky Way bars are now being produced in smaller sizes for their snack-sized value bags. File picture.

Chocolate lovers are getting less bang for their buck after a confectionery giant cut the size of two of its products but kept them at the same price.

Mars Wrigley Australia has reduced its Mars and Milky Way bar value bags from 360g to 320g, which are manufactured at its Ballarat factory.

The confectionary giant, which also produces products including M & Ms and Pods, made a $40m investment in local manufacturing last year, which included new equipment at the factory, a Mars Wrigley spokesman said.

The equipment produces smaller snack-sized bars and has led to 40g less product being put in the bags, which have been in stores since the start of winter.

The Mars value bags still contain 20 bars, which have shrunk by 2g and are at a smaller size of 16g.

But Milky Way fans are getting a hard deal, as there are three less bars in the bags, which Mars Wrigley’s spokesman said was to “bring the offering in line with the category”.

The new size of the snack-sized Milky Way bars is unclear.

Mars’ snack-sized bars have been reduced to 16g, and its value packs now contain 40g less product. File picture.

The spokesman said the new equipment had led to “minor changes” to the value bags and the factory’s upgrades were necessary to ensure the products could be produced locally “for years to come”.

He said Mars decided to keep the value bags at the same price as it was in line with competitors’ products.

“Like most manufacturers, we regularly review our pricing, based on a range of factors that impact our business and product lines,” the spokesman said.

“In doing so, we strive to balance the expectations of our customers with our commitment to our local manufacturing communities and jobs here in Australia.”