Cadbury takes palm oil out

17 August 2009

Consumers secured an important victory today with Cadbury reversing its previous decision to put palm oil in its dairy milk chocolate. This will include all dairy milk chocolate made in Australia and New Zealand.

After receiving hundreds of letters and emails complaining about the move, the company admitted it had got it wrong. It just shows that your voice can make a difference.

Here's the press release from NZ today:

Cadbury Dairy Milk in New Zealand returns to Cocoa Butter only recipe

Cadbury New Zealand today announced it is responding to consumers by returning Cadbury Dairy Milk to a recipe containing only cocoa butter.

The move follows hundreds of letters and emails in which consumers told the company they didn't approve of a new recipe where a small proportion of the cocoa butter was replaced with vegetable fat, including palm oil.

Cadbury New Zealand Managing Director, Matthew Oldham, said the decision to go back to using only cocoa butter in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate was in direct response to consumer feedback.

"At the time, we genuinely believed we were making the right decision, for the right reasons. But we got it wrong. Now we're putting things right as soon as we possibly can, and hope Kiwis will forgive us. Cadbury Dairy Milk's quality is what's made it one of New Zealand's most trusted brands for many years. Changing the recipe put that trust at risk and I am really sorry."

Mr Oldham said that Cadbury remains committed to its product quality and environmental and ethical sourcing commitments.

"Cadbury is a responsible business and we purchase certified sustainable palm oil - one of the few companies in New Zealand to do so. But Kiwi consumers have told us they don't want palm oil in their Cadbury Dairy Milk, so it's going." he said.

Production will begin within a few weeks and Cadbury Dairy Milk will shortly, once again, contain only cocoa butter. The wholesale price of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate will not be affected as a result of this decision.

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