# 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’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/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/
- Published: 2026-11-13T00:08:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T00:21:49+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16278265/decline-Quality-Street-British-sweets-taste-wax-palm-oil.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: UK, World

## Key points

- Customers say Quality Street tastes worse and waxy.
- Sugar has replaced milk chocolate at the top of the ingredients list.
- Tub sizes fell from 600g to 550g.

## Summary

Quality Street customers have criticised changes to the festive sweets, saying they taste worse and, in some cases, waxy. A comparison of ingredients suggests that the recipe has shifted towards sugar and vegetable fats, while milk chocolate and some real fruit ingredients listed in 2001 are absent from current versions.

Palm oil was introduced over the past 20 years and is criticised by some chocolate makers for its taste and texture. Nestlé has also reduced tub sizes from 600g in 2024 to 550g in 2025 and this week abandoned a trial of paper packaging; the sweets remain legally described as assorted milk and dark chocolates and toffees.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.