Boci chocolate has changed: smaller size, new recipe, divisive taste

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 11. 27. 10:59

Boci chocolate, which has been an iconic product of the Hungarian confectionery market for many years, has undergone significant changes this year. Not only has its size decreased, but its recipe has also changed, which has met with mixed reception among fans. A TikTok videographer, A produktkritikus, recently analyzed the new composition and flavors in detail, pointing out that chocolate is no longer what Hungarians once loved.

What changed in the recipe?

According to food safety data sheets from METRO, the Boci chocolate recipe underwent significant modifications between May and September this year:

Cocoa solids content: In May it was still 30%, by September it had decreased to 27%.

Bourbon vanilla flavor: The iconic ingredient was simply replaced by a “natural flavor”.

Vegetable fats: The new recipe has introduced cheaper ingredients such as palm oil and shea butter.

According to the TikTok videographer, these changes have significantly affected the taste and texture of Boci chocolate, which is no longer as creamy and soft as the packaging promises.

What is behind the changes?

There are several factors behind the transformation of the chocolate industry, which can be primarily traced back to the drastic increase in the price of cocoa beans on the world market. Cocoa prices have reached record highs in recent years, which are due to natural disasters and changes in global supply and demand. According to Sándor Sánta, president of the Hungarian Confectionery Manufacturers Association, cocoa bean prices were four times higher this summer than at any time in recent decades.

Due to rising costs, manufacturers are forced to resort to cheaper ingredients to remain competitive. However, this often comes at the expense of taste and quality, as the example of Boci chocolate shows.

Boci chocolate returned to Hungarian hands this year, after Cerbona took over the brand following the Nestlé privatization in 1991. Although many hoped that the domestic owner would bring back the old, familiar quality, the modification of the recipe and the reduction in size caused a rather negative response.