Aussies love Arnott’s biscuits. It’s a fact. So when they suddenly don’t taste or look like they used to, we will complain about it – especially on the internet.
This week some people were not happy about Arnott’s much-loved Iced VoVos, after one Reddit user decided “on a whim” to try the jam coconut treat after not having eaten one for at “least a decade”.
“Boy was I disappointed,” the user wrote before asking: “What the hell happened?”
Other users were quick to side with the disappointed VoVo eater, with one person agreeing the biscuit does “seem smaller these days and the coconut and jam seems much firmer and less off than I remember them being originally”.
“It’s like they’re dehydrated,” a user replied, while another said “I completely lost my shit. It’s like they hate us” referring to Arnott’s.
One user even went as far as to say “everything Arnott’s has touched has been murdered” before taking a jab at other crowd favourites.
“Orange Creams have less cream and taste stale, Shortbread Creams taste sickly and fake, Monte Carlos have red and white hardened glue instead of filling, Kingstons are like 30% crumbs, Delta Creams just taste wrong [and] Nice, I wish they were.”
Not that I didn’t trust the opinions of strangers on Reddit, but I decided to get my paws on a packet to see what the fuss was all about. After all, the VoVo’s legacy was at stake – having been the biscuit Kevin Rudd told all Australians to eat when he became Prime Minister in 2007.
After side-eyeing the packet’s one-star health rating, I opened them up and straightaway noticed the look and feel of the biscuits had downgraded.
I totally agree with the sentiment online that “the marshmallow on top definitely used to be puffier and fuller” and wasn’t completely satisfied after one or even four biscuits. The sugary addictive taste was mostly the same but there’s definitely a symptom of shrinkflation happening here.
This isn’t the first time the food giant, which was sold to a private American investment company in 2019, has been accused of changing recipes and biscuit sizes without telling loyal costumers about it.
A go-to classic – the Scotch Fingers – came under fire a few years go from this Reddit user who tried to show his granddaughter how to enjoy the biscuit by snapping it in half down the middle.
“Well, horror (ensued) as I attempted to snap the Scotchie!” he wrote, adding that after he snapped it, it formed two “ill formed stubs”.
Just as Arnott’s promised they hadn’t changed anything about Scotch Fingers, the company has recently insisted their VoVo recipe and biscuit size has not changed either.
To this day Arnott’s describe their Iced VoVo product as having “smooth fondant, sweet raspberry jammy flavoured topping, and a sprinkle of coconut all on a delicate golden biscuit that Aussies have loved for decades”.
And in a statement to Yahoo, the company said: “We know Iced VoVo biscuits are a much-loved product amongst Australians, and we are consistently listening to our consumers to ensure our products meet high-quality standards.
Our Iced VoVo biscuits continue to be made by our wonderful team in Marleston, South Australia, who have been delivering the same delicious recipe … for decades.
As well as the recipe, the biscuit size of our Iced VoVo has stayed the same in recent years.”
Maybe it’s time we try making them ourselves then?
