From the primary source article:
– Victoria Gordon, 44, is a cleaner who specializes in crime scenes and biohazard sites
– Found a 35-year-old Mars bar (from 1991) in a hoarder’s house in Lincolnshire
– The bar dates back to 1991
– She compared it to a modern Mars bar on video
– 1991 bars were 65 grams; today’s are 51 grams
– 1991 price: 25p-30p (about $0.34-0.40); today’s average around $1.62
– She said “The size difference was greater than I expected” and “Even though I knew it was big, I was surprised when I bought one to compare. It is a shame, really.”
– She said her favorite part of hoarder clearances is “finding treasure like that” and “I find so many old and vintage things”
– The article mentions McDonald’s soda cup complaints and Chick-fil-A sandwich shrinking
From search results:
– German article confirms the video went viral with 700,000+ views
– Mars Wrigley recently cut bars from 51g to 40g (March 2026)
– Jim Moorhead of Top Cards said “I have just bought a box of Mars bars and was shocked to discover they have reduced their weight by 21.5%”
– The Chick-fil-A Reddit post compared 2021 sandwich to 2026 version
– A Chick-fil-A employee commented “I swear to God, we haven’t changed anything in our sandwich recipes other than a slightly different batter (coater) for the sandwiches” and “This is just a very good sandwich and a very poorly made one side by side.”
A British cleaner discovered a 35-year-old Mars bar in a hoarder’s home and found it drastically larger than modern versions, providing visual proof of shrinkflation.
Victoria Gordon, 44, runs a cleaning business specializing in crime scenes and biohazard sites in Lincolnshire, a seaside county in England. While clearing a hoarder’s house this week, she stumbled across a vintage chocolate bar from 1991, which she documented in an online video. In the clip, Gordon holds what she describes as a “massive” unit of nostalgic candy while wearing rubber cleaning gloves.
The video went viral, gaining more than 700,000 views.
Out of curiosity, she bought a modern Mars bar to compare side by side.
“The size difference was greater than I expected,” Gordon told Jam Press of the sweet find.
“Even though I knew it was big, I was surprised when I bought one to compare. It is a shame, really.”
The disparity tells a stark story about product sizing over decades.
A Mars bar from 1991 cost between 25p and 30p (about $0.34 to $0.40 in US dollars). With inflation, that same bar should run about $1 at a bodega today, but average prices now hover around $1.62.
The standard-sized Mars bar of 1991 weighed 65 grams, compared to just 51 today.
Gordon blamed the discrepancy on “shrinkflation,” a trend where companies downsize food portions while upping the price.
Her discovery struck a chord online because Mars is hardly alone.
Reports began surfacing in March that Mars Wrigley had cut single bar sizes from 51g to 40g without lowering wholesale or suggested retail pricing.
“I have just bought a box of Mars bars and was shocked to discover they have reduced their weight by 21.5%,” said Jim Moorhead of Top Cards in Scotland. “I think they should be ashamed of themselves, yet again, the small business owners are being screwed…We’d have to price them at £2 to get the equivalent profit increase as the manufacturer.”
McDonald’s has faced similar complaints from customers.
A fast food fan accused the chain of serving sodas in cups the size of a “sewing thimble,” and demanded that they bring back “$1 any size soft drinks” to atone for their carbonated sins.
Chick-fil-A also caught flak for allegedly shrinking their signature sandwich.
A Reddit user shared before-and-after photos comparing their Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich from today with one from 2021. The 2026 version was decidedly flatter with a runty-looking patty. When they went back to the store and told staff it looked like someone stepped on it, the restaurant remade it but still failed to match the older photo.
“I swear to God, we haven’t changed anything in our sandwich recipes other than a slightly different batter (coater) for the sandwiches,” a Chick-fil-A employee wrote. “This is just a very good sandwich and a very poorly made one side by side.”
Gordon’s reaction differed sharply from the outrage rippling through social media.
“While the petrified confection might seem revolting, Gordon said that her ‘favorite part of the hoarder clearances are finding treasure like that.’ She gushed, ‘I find so many old and vintage things.'”
Her enthusiasm for vintage finds reflects the unique nature of her work.
Gordon’s cleaning company provides specialist biohazard and trauma cleaning services and works closely with people affected by hoarding issues, breaking the stigma and raising awareness around how mental health can affect living environments.
The shrinkflation phenomenon extends well beyond chocolate and fast food.
Weather conditions affecting global cocoa production have led to spikes in bean prices, meaning makers of festive favorites including Toblerone, Quality Street, and Celebrations are reducing product sizes. Boxes of Quality Street are shedding 50g in weight, down to 550g from 600g, while Celebrations are down to 500g from 550g.
A Mars Wrigley UK spokesperson said the company knows cost of living is important to shoppers, and they “remain focused on providing great, high-quality snacks at the best possible value,” They added: “We will always absorb pricing pressures where we can, but rising manufacturing costs—driven in part by well-documented increases in the cost of cocoa—have meant that we’ve had to adjust some of our product sizes. It’s not a decision we take lightly, but it ensures families can still enjoy their favourite Celebrations without compromising on quality or taste.”
A relic from 1991 suddenly became a physical argument against decades of downsizing.
For many who grew up in the UK during the 1990s, the memory of a larger Mars bar is not a trick of nostalgia. In that era, the bar reached its peak weight of 65 grams.
The standard Mars bar in the UK is currently 51 grams, reduced from its 1990s peak of 65 grams.
In the second half of 2008, Mars UK reduced the weight of regular bars from 62.5 grams to 58 grams. Although the reduction was not publicized at the time, Mars claimed the change was designed to help tackle the obesity crisis, but later acknowledged that the real reason was rising costs.
McDonald’s has dubbed its improvement plan the Best Burger initiative and is targeting 2026 for a nationwide completion of the upgrades.