Cadbury chocolate fingers sell for €55 in France as customers feel ‘betrayed’
French customers are facing eye-watering prices of €54.99 (£46) for packets of Cadbury Fingers amid widespread shortages, compared to their usual £1.80 cost in British shops.
The chocolate biscuits have sparked national outrage in France following their disappearance from supermarket shelves in what has been a cost of living blow to consumers.
The crisis has prompted at least two public petitions demanding their return to shops.
The astronomical prices being charged on Amazon France rival those of luxury French patisserie maker Pierre Hermé.
The shortage crisis first emerged six months ago but only gained national attention last week when French newspaper Libération highlighted the mysterious vanishing of the biscuits.
The disappearance has prompted coverage across France’s media landscape, from national Le Monde to regional publication Ouest-France.
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Libération reported that regular consumers felt “betrayed” by the absence.
“It’s become almost impossible to find this little crunchy chocolate biscuit,” the left-wing daily noted.
Dr Sophie Thiron, a food and emotions sociologist at Toulouse-Jean Jaurès University, explained that French consumers had developed a deep trust in Cadbury’s biscuit offerings.
“When Cadbury withdraws its Fingers without warning, that trust is broken,” she told Le Monde.
The expert highlighted the emotional significance of the treats, describing them as “a vessel that enables a journey to other times, other contexts or with other people.”
The disappearance has left a void in French snacking culture, according to Dr Thiron’s analysis.
Mondelez International, which owns Cadbury, blamed the shortage on an intermediary distributor.
The American corporation, which acquired Cadbury in 2010, has promised action to resolve the crisis.
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“We are actively working on options to reintroduce the beloved Cadbury Fingers to the French market,” the company stated.
The firm has moved to calm British consumers, confirming there will be no impact on UK supplies.
A dispute has emerged over responsibility, with French distributor Lightbody Europe, based in Brittany, claiming Mondelez International was behind the removal from supermarkets.
The shortage has become a political talking point in France, with left-wing commentators viewing it as evidence of market economy failures. Some online critics have blamed “wild capitalist forces” for the crisis.