The incredible shrinking Freddo would have creator 'rolling in his grave'

Freddos may have started innocently enough, but now they are an internet meme staple, as well as the country’s recession indicator.

Want to know the state of the UK economy? Just pop into your local corner shop. Most of us remember the glory days of the five-pence Freddos, but it's hit new heights this year, clocking in at £1 (*faints in Millennial shock*).

The humble sweet treat itself originated in Australia nearly a century ago when British teenager Harry Melbourne thought up the chocolate bar. Harry’s daughter Leonie recently talked about her fury at the extortionate price of them.

Talking to Sky Money, Leonie said that: “Dad was disgusted with how small it is now and how much they charge for it.” Clearly, we’re not alone in our coco-outrage. She also mentioned that she hasn’t even bought a Freddo since her dad died.

Originally, the bar was going to be made in the shape of a mouse, but Harry pointed out that children were scared of mice, so why not make it into a frog instead, as catching tadpoles was popular amongst kids. They later went on sale in Australia for a penny - if you can imagine…

In 1999, a Freddo cost 10p in the UK, whenthe minimum wage was £3.60 for those 22 and above, meaning your hourly pay could get you 36 Freddo bars more or less. Today, it typically costs around 30p (even if some are charging up to a pound)... Current minimum wage is £12.21, giving you 40 bars, so actually, we’re not as shortchanged as we think. However, if its price has increased in line with inflation, today, a Freddo should go for about 21p, not upwards of 30p, according to the Bank of England’s inflation counter.

Freddo’s price jump of 200% isn’t exactly a surprise though, when you consider the fact that both cocoa and sugar prices - a Freddo's two main ingredients - have shot up, cocoa by 750% and raw sugar by about 250%. Yikes.

The whole idea of a Freddo, according to the inventor’s daughter, was that you could spend a small amount of money and come away with lots of chocolate. Your basic bang for your buck. Spending £1 on Freddos (as we’ve all done) would get you at best 3 Freddos today, whereas in 1999, you would get 10 for the same amount. So it turns out that it’s just as much about emotion as maths.

Maybe we will be joining Leonie in her boycott of Freddo buying until the price comes back down. We won’t be holding our breath…

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