Deceptive Advertising - Woolies - Pana Hot Chocolate

Bren20 on 31/05/2025 - 19:13
Last edited 31/05/2025 - 19:43 by 1 other user

I was at Woolies this arvo and noticed the price of Pana Hot Chocolate had dropped and was labelled "Lower Winter Price", which I was stoked with, until I noticed they’ve dropped the cocoa content from 52% to 30%.

So yes, the price is lower… because they’ve made an inferior product, but they're dressing it up as a win for consumers.

What do you think, OzBargain community?
Have you spotted other products doing sneaky downgrades while pretending it’s a promo or price cut? Would love to compile a mini "Shrinkflation / Dodgy Rebranding" hall of shame in the comments.

Poll Options

  • 64
    Dodgy as hell
  • 4
    Annoying but legal
  • 9
    Totally fine
Food & Grocery Hot Chocolate Pana Organic

Related Stores

Woolworths
Woolworths

Comments

  • Bren20 on 31/05/2025 - 19:21
    +1

    Just to dwell a bit more on how much worse this makes the product…

    If you’re trying to get the same chocolate flavour as the old recipe, you’d need to add about 75% more powder (since the cocoa content dropped from 52% to 30%).

    That means you’re also ending up with 2.5x more sugar in your cup. So not only are you using up the pack faster, you're also getting a much sweeter (and in my opinion worse) product.

    This isn’t just a cost-cutting change, it fundamentally changes the nature of the product.

  • Gdsamp on 31/05/2025 - 19:23
    +1

    hwhat are they cutting it with
    Sawdust?

    • BoltThrower on 31/05/2025 - 19:25

      Probably carob.

    • Bren20 on 31/05/2025 - 19:33

      I only had a quick look at the new ingredients, of course the ingredients aren't shown on the woolies or Pana websites…

      In hindsight I wish I looked more closely. I assume it's still just sugar + cocoa but wouldnt be too surprised if there was sawdust or some other filler

  • BillyStm on 31/05/2025 - 19:38
    +2

    You're lucky the price was lowered, normally they just make it an 'inferior product' or smaller size and keep the pricing the same.

  • ozhunter on 31/05/2025 - 19:42
    -1

    because they’ve made an inferior product,

    Depends if you think if it was too much or too little cacao before.

    I don't think manufacturers should have to have a name change for every ingredient change or ingredient proportion change.

    • Bren20 on 31/05/2025 - 20:09
      +2

      The ingredient change isn't the main problem, it's the advertising.

      • ozhunter on 31/05/2025 - 20:34

        But it is still Pana Hot Chocolate, it's just that the ingredients have changed.

  • ihbh on 31/05/2025 - 19:45

    Lower Winter Price

    It might increase after winter.

    You don't seem to be familiar with the price of key ingredients and hence disappointed. Check out this graph for cacao prices and choose the 10Y filter. https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/cocoa

    Chocolate manufacturers have been increasing prices significantly recently.

  • Protractor on 31/05/2025 - 20:51

    FREE SPEECH!

  • mrkorrupt on 31/05/2025 - 20:54
    +4

    i think there are several things happening here.

    The item here is made by https://pana-organic.com which is not a Woolworths owned company
    The manufacturer decided to reduce the content of the item
    Woolworths decided to lower its price on this item.
    Would there be an issue if Woolworths had NOT lowered the price? IF not, then please pay the unchanged price by handing the original price (in cash) to the cashier and they will place it in the till.
    Otherwise please do not mix the two issues.

    The reduction of cocoa content is NOT a Woolworths issue
    The reduction of price is a Woolworths issue.

    Same price at coles

    https://www.coles.com.au/product/pana-organics-hot-chocolate…

  • AustriaBargain on 31/05/2025 - 20:59

    Cocoa has gotten a little more expensive, which doesn't mean much for the cost of one unit to the customer, but over all cocoa products for the corporation that owns it it could cost many millions in profits a year. So you get 33% cocoa version now.

  • joka on 31/05/2025 - 21:11

    Have you been under a rock for the last two years?

  • mrkorrupt on 31/05/2025 - 22:15
    +1

    The ingredients are LISTED on the pana website here https://pana-organic.com/cdn/shop/files/Pana_Organic_Hot_Cho…

    So either you don't know how to look for the information, or didn't bother to look for it or are being DECEPTIVE just like you are accusing Woolworths of being

    • sidesw1pe on 01/06/2025 - 01:34
      -1

      The OP stated in one of his comments "of course the ingredients aren't shown on the woolies or Pana websites", and here you've merely pointed out that the ingredients are in fact listed on the Pana website, and provided the link as evidence to support your claim. Incredibly, you have been downvoted by somebody for that. I'll upvote it to put it back to neutral.

      • Bren20 on 01/06/2025 - 22:06

        I've downvoted both of you because it is a different product

    • Bren20 on 01/06/2025 - 17:09

      That's a different product?

  • silentsoar on 01/06/2025 - 11:10
    +1

    I suspect the majority of "Dodgy as hell" voters weren't clear that OP placed blame on the retailer here, and not the manufacturer

    Saying that Woolies should be responsible for declaring that their supplier's product has a new recipe (outside of allergens) is as much of a reach as saying that they are intentionally decieving us by calling the ingredient "Cho Colate" on the shelf label instead of Chocolate

    What is this Cho Colate poison? I, for one, am very suspicious… OK I've switched sides, I totally agree with OP, burn them to the ground

  • payless69 on 01/06/2025 - 14:49

    OP never carried cash into a Metcash outlet and walked out with perceptive more cash?

    Just bring in Meth and sell it?

    payless69 on 01/06/2025 - 14:49 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • Dollar General on 01/06/2025 - 17:57

    Woolies sets the retail price but doesn’t make the product. Your argument has no merit

    • Bren20 on 01/06/2025 - 22:09

      I dunno, I think that lowering the quality of a product then parading it as a cost reduction is pretty poor form. There's a relationship between supplier and retailer, I'd be amazed if Pana weren't aware the branding was being applied to their new inferior product. I'm mad at Pana and Woolies, they're both complicit.

      • Dollar General on 02/06/2025 - 04:58

        Pana may have reduced the ingredients to lower costs. Woolies has passed on the lower price.

        Supermarkets would have thousands of suppliers. You think they have time to monitor each product like you do? They probably told suppliers to lower their prices or have the chopping block so this is the path some suppliers have chosen. It’s called capitalism

  • Muppet Detector on 03/06/2025 - 17:25

    When was the last time you priced and compared this?

    On WW website, this type was $9 on 27/5/25

    Therefore, as it is only $7.50 this week, this really does indicate it is a lower price for the same product.

    No harm in a bit of marketing about lower price for winter.

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