Nestlé launches Walnut Whips without any walnut as price of key ingredient soars

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Nestlé has created a new range of Walnut Whips that do not contain one crucial ingredient: walnuts.

The company said the new line will cater to a broader range of people with differing tastes.

It is the first time that a nutless Whip has gone on sale in the confectionery’s more-than 100-year history and comes as walnut prices have surged around a fifth his year due to strong global demand, a poor crop in Chile last year and the fall in the value of the pound.

Vanilla and caramel versions of the nutless Whip go on sale this week, with a mint version to follow next month.

“This means there is something for consumers wanting to try something new, as well as for long-standing fans of our century-old walnut product,” A Nestlé spokesperson said.

“They will continue to be sold as a single treat as they have been ever since their launch in 1910. They will also be sold in larger six packs at Christmas, when consumers want to be able to purchase them in larger quantities.”

After the furore surrounding shrinking Toblerones and Maltesers bags, the announcement kicked up the obligatory social media storm as some consumers worry.

However, Nestlé confirmed to worried consumers that the traditional Walnut Whip will still be on sale.

Nestlé has previously claimed that one Walnut Whip is eaten every two seconds in the UK. The British classic was first produced by Duncan’s of Edinburgh in 1910 and has always been topped with half a walnut.

Concerned consumers took to social media to protest at what has been labelled by some as the latest in a round of shrinkflation to hit chocolate products.

One internet user wrote: “I want to laugh and check it isn’t April 1st!” while another commented: “Like buying a car without a steering wheel.”

Toblerone owner Mondelez caused a stir last November when it increased the gaps between the bar’s iconic triangular peaks.

A host of other household name brands, including Maltesers which lived up to its billing as the “lighter way to enjoy chocolate” when the size of its bags shrunk from 121g to 103g last Autumn, before another downsizing to 93g in March.