There's a meltdown in the baking aisle as consumers, angered at Baker's Chocolate shaving the size of its iconic bars, took their fudgy feud to Facebook.
Baker's Chocolate, which originated in Dorchester, halved its package from 8 ounces to 4 ounces in the spring, but the cocoa cacophony went viral this week when the pop culture site Buzzfeed harvested and posted the best barbs from Baker's Facebook page.
Cambridge resident Amy Todd, 47, was among those brought to the boiling point.
"The box has been the same size my entire life. I stood in the aisle thinking there is something strange about this. I really wondered if there had been a mistake. Why was the price so high?" Todd told the Herald about her Facebook rant.
Todd, an anthropology professor at UMass Boston, was prompted to post a complaint after paying $4.99 for a 4-ounce package at a local supermarket in May.
Kraft Foods, Baker's parent company, responded to a Herald inquiry with a statement. The size reduction was "consumer driven" and the "suggested retail price was lowered to $2.89," wrote a Kraft spokesman.
At Shaw's in Brighton, a 4-ounce box of Baker's Chocolate was priced at $3.29. Nearby at Stop & Shop, Baker's was selling for $3.19.
Excerpts from the vitriol on Baker's Facebook page included this from Sarah Carol Bing: "Another loyal customer lost. I have been making my great aunt's recipe using Baker's Chocolate for 25 years now. The original recipe, written in her own handwriting calls for an 8 oz package of 'Baker's Chocolate.'"
Another user, Shannon Harris, quipped, "Christmas is coming, and baking season. Too bad, I will be switching brand for all my zillion kitchen adventures." Tammy Borushko railed, "Wow! What a crappy way to treat your customers."
Edgar Dworsky, a Somerville-based consumer advocate, said a communication meltdown may be to blame.
"Did they cut the price in half? No, there's a bit of a premium. The product was cut in half content-wise but the price wasn't, but the price was definitely reduced," said Dworsky. Even if sold at Kraft's suggested retail price of $2.89, the chocolate is now 72 cents per ounce as compared to 62 cents.
But the damage has been done for Dorchester baker Chirelle Hitt. Hitt, 40, tackles the holiday baking for her family and is known for whipping up batches of chocolate crinkles for workmates.
"At this point, I'm so used to using the 8-ounce it feels like I'm cheated even if the prices are lower," said Hitt, a staff assistant at Harvard Medical School. "I'm already looking for different chocolate."
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