Candy Bar Shrinks for Eighth Straight Year, Now Sold With Magnifying Glass

HERSHEY, PA — Confectionery giant Brightwell Brands announced Tuesday that its flagship Caramel Crunch bar will shrink for the eighth consecutive year, and will now be packaged with a complimentary 10x magnifying glass so that customers can locate the candy inside the wrapper.

“We’re proud to continue offering the same great Caramel Crunch taste our customers have loved since 1954,” said Brightwell’s Senior Vice President of Portion Strategy, Kyle Emerson. “The bar is a little smaller this year. But thanks to our new magnifying glass, customers will be able to experience every detail of it like never before.”

The Caramel Crunch bar, which weighed 2.1 ounces in 2018, now weighs 0.4 ounces, roughly the size of a domino. The price has risen from $1.29 to $2.49 over the same period.

“Customers used to eat Caramel Crunch in three or four bites,” Emerson said. “Now they can enjoy it in a single, focused moment. We think that’s a more mindful experience.”

According to Brightwell, the magnifying glass is made from recycled plastic, features an ergonomic grip, and is “specifically calibrated to the dimensions of a modern candy bar.” Customers are instructed to hold the lens approximately four inches above the open wrapper and “search slowly, with patience.”

“I opened the wrapper and thought it was empty,” said Pittsburgh resident Tony Russo, 51. “Then I saw the little magnifying glass taped to the inside. I held it up and there it was, in the corner of the wrapper, like a little brown pebble. I could see the caramel layer. I could see the crunch. It was beautiful. Then I ate it and it was gone before I could chew.”

Russo said he remembers when Caramel Crunch bars were “the size of a TV remote.”

“My dad used to break one in half and share it with me,” he said. “Now if you tried to break it in half, you’d need a jeweler’s saw.”

Brightwell attributes the shrinking bars to rising costs for cocoa, sugar, and packaging. However, the company’s most recent annual report shows record profits, a 14% dividend increase, and a $2.8 billion share buyback program.

“The economy has been challenging for everyone,” Emerson said. “We’ve had to make difficult decisions. Shrinking the bar was one of them. Increasing the price was another. Increasing our dividend was a third. These were all very difficult.”

Consumer advocates say the magnifying glass is a clear acknowledgment that the product has become almost comically small. “When you need an optical device to find your food, something has gone wrong,” said Janet Holloway of the Consumer Fairness Coalition. “Next year it’ll come with a microscope. The year after that, they’ll send it to a lab and email you the results.”

Brightwell said it is already developing next year’s packaging, which will feature a larger wrapper “to create a sense of abundance,” and a tiny pair of tweezers for “precise extraction.”

At press time, Brightwell had announced a new Caramel Crunch “King Size,” which weighs 0.8 ounces and is priced at $4.99.