The decline of Quality Street: How iconic British sweets founded by Yorkshire family are now packed with palm oil and 'harmful' additives - as customers say they 'taste like wax'
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They are traditional festive favourites, sparking many a family scramble as everyone dives in to claim their chocolate of choice.
But it seems that sweets from Quality Street may no longer live up to their name.
Fans complain that the treats are less tasty than they used to be – and a comparison of how the ingredients have changed over the years may explain why customers feel that way.
Ingredients believed to have been in the original 1936 recipe include staples such as sugar, butter, treacle, eggs and natural fruit flavourings.
Milk chocolate was top of the ingredients list back in 2001 and the treats also included real fruits such as strawberries, apricots and coconut. But none of these fruits are present in the 2026 versions, despite the boxes including ‘strawberry’ and ‘coconut’ flavoured sweets.
And milk chocolate is no longer top of the ingredients list, having been replaced by sugar.
The tin - now a box - has undergone a substantial makeover, particularly in recent decades. A newer box with sweets wrapped in paper is pictured
Over the past 20 years, palm oil has been introduced – which is controversial because of its high saturated fat content and use in ultra-processed foods.
Industry experts say that ‘there is no place for palm oil in chocolate’ and that it is no substitute for cocoa butter.
Critics insist palm oil chocolate tastes worse than high-quality cocoa butter.
It also has a far higher melting point than cocoa butter, often creating a less-than-desirable waxy or crumbly sensation in the mouth.
Louis Barnett, a British chocolatier, described the oil as a ‘cheap bulk filler’, while artisan chocolate maker Chococo concluded: ‘There is no place for palm oil in chocolate – end of.’
Only this week, the brand's owner Nestle scrapped the introduction of new 'eco-friendly' paper tubs which were first trialed in October 2024
An original Quality Street poster from 1936
When approached by the Daily Mail, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said the title of the brand was not something it would tend to take action on – so long as Quality Street had not stated it was using 'quality products'.
The chocolates aren't the only thing to have undergone a substantial makeover – the iconic tin is now just a plastic tub.
This week, the brand's owner Nestle scrapped the introduction of new 'eco-friendly' paper packaging which was first trialled in October 2024.
It was a notable shift away from the brand's original intention to make working families feel like they were receiving a special present when handed a tin of the sweets.
The tubs have also undergone significant 'shrinkflation'.
Quality Street tubs were available in 600g tubs in 2024 – but in 2025 they were reduced to 550g.
Manufacturers have blamed the reduction on the rising cost of production and ingredients.
Adam Mawson said: 'Clearly their taste testers don't have tastebuds. They're rotten. They're full of palm oil'
A list from 2001 gives milk chocolate as the first ingredient before going on to include real fruits such as strawberries, apricots and coconut
A tub of Quality Streets from the 1980s. The brand has undergone many changes since it was founded 90 years ago
Customers have taken to social media to voice their disapproval at the changes – with some claiming there is 'nothing quality anymore'.
Adam Mawson said: 'Clearly their taste testers don't have tastebuds. They're rotten. They're full of palm oil.
'They need to revert to their old recipe. People might actually buy them and they'll taste of chocolate again.
'I'm surprised they can actually call them chocolates anymore. It's chocolate flavoured it should be because there's hardly any cocoa in them anymore.'
Despite modern Quality Street being a largely sugar-based product made with vegetable fats including palm and shea, they can still be sold as 'assorted milk and dark chocolates and toffees'.
But one person said on social media: 'Nothing quality any more from the wrapping to the chocolate.'
Quality Street confectionary from 2017, before the company started wrapping the sweets in paper
Another added: 'It's ridiculous because Quality Street were a popular brand, they made bigger versions of the chocolates and they were doing well.
'They were a shadow of their former selves.'
Nestle said: 'Like many confectionery products, Quality Street contains small amounts of plant-based fats, which are clearly listed in the ingredients on pack.'
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