‘Ridiculous’: Arnott’s reveals truth about viral TimTam photo

A woman has accused cult chocolate brand TimTam of shrinkflation but Arnott’s has clapped back with some home truths.

A woman has accused cult chocolate brand TimTam of shrinkflation, but not everyone is on board with her assertions.

Amanda Catalano claimed that “shrinkflation was getting even worse”, pulling out a packet of the brand new TimTam Deluxe Cafe Latte.

“I haven’t bought a packet of TimTams in years. I think I’ve just been offered them,” she said.

“I haven’t actually opened a packet since the days of – remember the TimTam commercials of the 90s and early 2000s?”

She played a snippet from the famous commercial starring Cate Blanchett, where she said she wanted a packet of TimTams that never ran out.

“This is what I’ve always remembered. Stacked side-by-side, no gaps in the middle. There is 11 biscuits.”

Woman has accused Arnott's of shrinkflation when it comes to TimTams. Picture: TikTok/@amanda.catalano

She then compared it to the new Deluxe edition, which only launched at the end of last month, saying the biscuits were “spread out”.

“Look at that, there are eight! Three biscuits missing,” she declared.

“Like what is that space in between? That’s ridiculous.”

But an Arnott’s spokesperson told news.com.au Ms Catalano didn’t have things quite right.

“Tim Tam has not changed the size of our existing products in recent years,” the spokesperson said.

“Tim Tam Original, with its undeniable flavours of smooth chocolate, tasty biscuit crunch and a luscious velvety centre, continues to have 11 biscuits in a pack.

“This has not changed in decades, being the same number seen in the 1994 advertisement with Australian actress, Cate Blanchett.

“Our most indulgent range, Tim Tam Deluxe, launched in 2022 and contains 8 biscuits. Each Tim Tam Deluxe biscuit weighs 20 per cent more than a Tim Tam Original biscuit, containing not only more chocolate per biscuit but also an extra gooey centre.

“To avoid any confusion, the gram size and biscuit amount are clearly displayed on the front of all packs.”

But, while some social media users were surprised, most were on the side of the brand.

“The semi deluxe are nine-packs and the deluxe are eight-packs. Been like that for 15+ years,” one social media user commented.

Another said: “It’s only the deluxe ones that are eight, the normal ones are 11.”

“Double coat packs are the closest you’ll get to the old thickness and they have 11 in a pack,” one said.

Another social media user bluntly commented; “These have always been eight biscuits.”

“I forgot to Google this yesterday. I bought a packet of normal caramel ones for the first time in years and there’s only nine,” another social media user commented.

Many has disagreed with her. Picture: TikTok/@amanda.catalano

“Now try a regular pack of Tim Tams, the fancy varieties always have less biscuits in them,” one argued.

It’s not the first time that shoppers have kicked off about the difference between the original and deluxe TimTams, with a photo comparing the Original TimTam and deluxe range Dark Chocolate Mint going viral in 2023.

Despite the plastic packaging being the same length for both packets, the Original pack contained 11 biscuits while the Deluxe pack, again, had just eight.

The revelation sparked fury then too.

This photo went viral in 2023. Picture: Reddit

But the main cause of concern wasn’t the number of biscuits in each pack, rather the amount of plastic being used in the packaging.

“(It’s) still the same f**king amount of plastic. That’s the outrage I think: polluting just for the sake of marketing, because they’re afraid a smaller package will sell less,” one viewer commented.

A second agreed: “I was thinking the same thing, stupid amount of plastic for 8 biscuits”.

While others were calling for a “plastic tax”, some explained the reason for the packaging size had to do with marketing.

“It’s not just the smaller pack, it’s also that they want the same size packs in the same size boxes so they look better when stacked or on a shelf,” one person said.

Both the Original TimTam and Double-coated TimTam have a net weight of 200 grams per pack, while the Deluxe range contains 25 grams less.