Overview
- Online voting runs through January 20 as Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg names five nominees: Milka (Mondelez), Dr. Oetker, Kölln, Knorr and Jacobs.
- Across 77 new entries on its 2025 list, the group calculated an average hidden price increase of 28.4% versus 2.1% official food inflation.
- Cited effective increases include about 48% for Milka chocolate, nearly 90% for Dr. Oetker’s cheesecake mix, roughly 30% per kilogram for Kölln muesli, 29% for Knorr pasta and 56% for Jacobs 3‑in‑1 coffee sticks.
- The group has a pending lawsuit filed in September against Mondelez at the Bremen regional court over Milka labeling, arguing the reduced weight is hard to spot on shelf displays.
- Jacobs disputed the calculation, saying a new milk creamer makes each stick as effective as before and that per‑cup costs rose by about 4%, while the watchdog renews calls for mandatory on‑pack notices and in‑store signage like rules adopted in France.