Russell Stover Chocolate Boxes-more plastic than Chocolate
2023.02.15 10:17
Russell Stover Chocolate Boxes-more plastic than Chocolate
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – The annual rush to purchase or give the classic Russell Stover and Whitman’s Sampler chocolate boxes, which retail for less than $12 at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Target stores, comes with Valentine’s Day.
However, according to a consumer advocate, when consumers open those massive pink or red boxes this year, they may be disappointed. That’s because, according to Edgar Dworsky, editor of ConsumerWorld.org and a former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts, the packaging is misleading.
He stated that sometimes inside there is precious candy.
According to Dworsky, his research demonstrates that the over-sized boxes deceive consumers into thinking there is more chocolate inside.
The practice, which is against federal law and is referred to as “slack-fill” by consumer protection groups, is illegal. He said that regulators compare a product’s capacity to the amount of product it actually contains to determine whether it is slack-filled. After that, they check to see if the additional space in it isn’t used for anything, like protecting the product.
This is not the same as the “shrinkflation” phenomenon, which is a practice in product packaging that usually occurs when prices rise and inflation rises. Companies put their products in packaging that looks smaller, is lighter, and has less colorful graphics to keep costs down.
Dworsky stated that a reader recently informed him of the chocolate samples and sent him evidence of a heart-shaped Whitman’s sampler box.
The box was 10 inches high, 9.3 inches wide, and weighed 5.1 ounces net. Dworsky stated, “That’s a pretty decent size.” However, upon opening the box, 11 pieces of chocolate were found inside.
Therefore, Dworsky purchased a few of the Whitman’s boxes from this year for $7.99 each and removed all of the inserts and packaging on the inside. One-third of the box was occupied by chocolate pieces.
Dworsky didn’t have any proof that brands are actually skimping on chocolate this year. However, one of our staff members kept a Russell Stover heart-shaped candy box of the same size, 9 inches wide by 10 inches high, with a Best Before date of June 10, 2006.
There were 24 pieces in it.
Dworsky also discovered a Russell Stover heart that weighed 5.1 ounces and contained nine pieces of chocolate. It’s almost twice as big as the seven-piece 4-ounce Russell Stover box, he said.
“Imagine receiving the larger package. He continued, “They think it’s a decent-sized big box of chocolate if you give it to your love on Valentine’s Day, but it only has nine pieces in it.” It’s horrible.
The approximate weight and number of candy pieces contained by each brand are clearly displayed on their respective boxes. Lindt & Sprüngli, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer, referred inquiries regarding the Russell Stover, Whitman’s, and Ghirardelli brands to Russell Stover Chocolates.
It “works to clearly indicate to our customers what is included in our packaging,” according to Russell Stover Chocolates.
Patrick Khattak, the brand’s vice president of marketing, stated:
“This includes sharing the product weight and how many pieces are in all of our Valentine’s Day boxed chocolates.”
In the past, chocolate manufacturers have been targeted by regulators for what is known as deceptive packaging. In 2019, California district attorneys filed a lawsuit against Ghirardelli and Russell Stover for allegedly employing false bottoms and other deceptive techniques in some chocolate packaging, making the packaging appear to be more full than it actually was.
Additionally, the prosecution alleged that Ghirardelli used less cocoa in their products than was advertised.
The case was settled by the DAs, including the Santa Cruz District Attorney. The companies paid a $750,000 fine without admitting any wrongdoing, but they agreed to change the packaging.
According to Edward Browne, an Assistant District Attorney in Santa Cruz, he will investigate this recent instance of the businesses’ potentially deceptive packaging. He claimed that Dworsky had contacted him regarding his most recent investigation into the Russell Stover and Whitman’s candy boxes.
It is regrettable that this situation persists. Additionally, it’s disappointing,” Browne stated: We will investigate to determine whether the businesses are taking advantage of any legal loopholes. Since our case in 2019, numerous exceptions have been added, which eat up the rule.
