Nestlé sent fans into meltdown in 2022 when the company made a major change to its most popular Christmas chocolates.
The iconic, shiny Quality Street wrappers were replaced with paper ones in a bid to be more environmentally friendly and reduce plastic waste.
While many applauded the move from Nestlé, others were fuming and claimed the change had ‘ruined Christmas’. Even now it’s still a pretty sensitive subject during the festive season…
As such, Quality Street’s latest update is bound to also cause a stir, as the chocolate giant is trialling another big change, and this time it’s to the tub itself.
While many people like to keep their Quality Street tubs and tins each year, reusing them as sewing tins, or cake tins, it seems this tradition could soon become a thing of the past, as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ paper tub has just launched at Tesco.
More than 200,000 paper tubs will go on sale in selected Tesco supermarkets in the run up to Christmas, with Quality Street testing to see how popular they prove with shoppers.
Nestlé say the tubs, which are embellished with gold foil, have a ‘luxurious design and feel’. They add that they’ve been subjected to significant testing to ensure food quality and freshness while being transported and stored.
The tubs come with an integrated re-close feature, and once you’ve eaten all your sweets, the whole thing can be popped into your household recycling.
Quality Street fans already seem rather sceptical about the change, with some adamant that the paper box somehow means the chocolate ‘won’t taste the same’.
On X, a user named @DanHarvey74 said as much to the official Quality Street UK account. A spokesperson responded to ensure him this wouldn’t be the case.
‘The chocolates will taste the same as in the current packaging,’ they vowed. But Dan added that he wasn’t convinced.
Similarly, @bejokex agreed, saying: ‘They taste different in paper. Won’t be buying!’
While @ShorehamReads asked: ‘How is my Grandma going to store her sewing kit in there for the next thirty years?’ And @AmandaHLondon added: ‘Nope, the tins were best! Still using some as cake tins – that is proper recycling.’
A few also claimed that this was ‘one change too many’ for the brand, while others pointed out that tin is also a fully recyclable material, so they didn’t understand the need to switch to paper.
However, not everyone was against the more sustainable tubs, with Joanne Blackett hopeful that the price would be reduced now the tubs were ‘cheaper to make’.
And @AndreaTromans1 thought the paper tubs ‘look good’. However, she was desperate for a different change, as she wanted Coffee Cremes to return as a regular feature.
Bernadette O’grady thought it was a ‘great idea’, while @milkpetal said it was ‘brilliant’, and @ThisOSMeUK1 posted: ‘Oh I like this!!!’
Speaking about the trial, Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street, said: ‘We’re looking forward to seeing what Quality Street fans make of the paper tub. A lot of care and hard work has gone into the trial and we’re proud to be the first major manufacturer to trial a paper tub at Christmas.
‘The beautiful design has been devised specifically for a paper product and we love how it looks, and of course, shoppers can expect the same great tasting Quality Street sweets that they know and love inside.
‘We know there are some Quality Street fans who, controversially, like to put their wrappers back in the tub once they’ve eaten them – with the paper tub, they can put the paper wrappers back for a good reason – it can go straight into the recycling.’
Cheryl Allen, Head of Sustainability – Confectionery Europe at Nestlé, added: ‘We’re committed to making our packaging more sustainable, keeping in mind the changing needs of shoppers and advancements in technology. Of course, with all potential packaging changes, we want to get it right, so this trial will bring us valuable information to inform our next steps as we keep pushing to reduce our use of virgin plastic.’
For those that still want to get their hands on an old school tin, don’t panic as Quality Street recently launched a limited-edition one for Christmas 2024.
They unveiled the design on social media, saying: ‘For 88 years a Quality Street tin has been a staple in Christmas traditions, a symbol of festive cheer gifted to loved ones and shared around family gatherings. That’s why we have taken it back to our Halifax heritage with our stunning 2024 tin design.’
And for those who, like Andrea, are missing the Coffee Creme, you’ll want to head to Waitrose or John Lewis, where tubs will exclusively contain the sweet. You’ll also be able to buy branded tins here as well.
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