Cadbury flakes are now too crumbly for 99 cones, say ice cream parlors | Food industry

The flake was once so beloved due to its melt-in-your-mouth texture that its adverts described it as the “world’s most crumbly, flaky milk chocolate” – but now ice cream vendors are complaining they’re too puffs to do their job on a 99 cone.

The row erupted as the first heat wave of the year caused queues to form in Mr Whippy’s vans across the country. Sellers insist the quality of the treat – officially called the ‘Cadbury 99 flake’ – has deteriorated since production moved to Egypt.

Ice cream vendors say they’re being asked to pay through their nose for a box of shards. “You can’t give someone a 99 with a broken flake,” John Taylor, owner of C&M Creamery Ices, told the BBC. “It’s embarrassing for an ice cream parlor.”

Britain’s love affair with the 99 cone and therefore the strength of opinion on flake quality should not be underestimated. In 2021, when lockdown ended, the clamor to enjoy a Mr Whippy led to a scarcity of flakes.

To appease Mr Whippy fans, Lawrence Glauser, the owner of Lorenzo’s Ices in East Yorkshire, said he had resorted to buying a German knockoff. “Customers don’t seem to care; the German ones are much denser and don’t seem to fall apart as easily.

The flake ice cream toppings are half the size of chocolate bars sold in newsagents and supermarkets, with the mini, hotel-oriented versions made outside Cairo in Egypt.

Big boxes usually contain 144 flakes 99. Katy Alston, who operates a van in Bognor Regis and is also president of the Ice Cream Alliance, said she had to throw away half in some cases.

“We’ve thrown 70 in a single box before because they’ve all been broken,” Alston said. “For the first time, I will not be using Cadbury flakes this year. It feels a different product. If you order a 99 you want a good solid flake in it.

Cadbury has been owned by US multinational Mondelēz since 2010. The company, which has been making flake 99 in Egypt since 2020, insisted the recipe has not changed and it takes quality issues “very seriously “.

“Cadbury flake 99 is a naturally delicate and crumbly product,” a spokesperson said. “We are aware that some customers have recently received a product that does not meet our usual high standards.

“This has been resolved following recent improvements to our production processes, although some past stock may remain in circulation. We are in the process of liaising with our customers (wholesalers) to support those potentially affected.