Has this Arnott’s favourite really shrunk? The SDC team investigates
- Replies 12
Recently, we wrote about a ‘horrific’ change to the beloved Arnott’s Monte Carlo biscuit that had shoppers in a disappointed frenzy. (@Zemo, @ShannyN, @Big M know what we’re talking about 
). You can read more about that here.
SDC members, understandably, had a lot to say about the potential shrinking of the cream and jam swirl inside this classic biscuit.
Member @Jen77au offered some interesting insider insights: ‘Arnotts was my first ever job at 16! That was in the 1990s. I can definitely say that the Monte Carlo biscuit has definitely been affected by shrinkflation! The jam and cream filling were supposed to cover the majority of the inside, with small gaps on either side, according to quality control. If something like this had been produced back then, it would have been classed as a “reject” and been removed from selling to the public.’
Member @rehandra experienced this change firsthand: ‘I could not believe the size of the last pack (and it is definitely the last pack I will purchase). I showed my husband the size of the biscuit and he burst out laughing. They are so small now.’
Member @StarTrekker said: ‘Daughter and I said that there must be something wrong with their machine. It is not pushing them together properly. Maybe they are trying to save on power bills by reducing the time the biscuits are under pressure.’
Meanwhile, some members took a humorous approach. Member @Pat T said: ‘Maybe they’re aiming for “low calorie”.’
That certainly had us laughing!
In response to Arnott’s Quality Director, Rachael Miller, claiming ‘Monte Carlo has not changed in recent years,’ member @Marj53 countered: ‘Saying they have not changed is an outright "porky". Arnott’s biscuits have definitely shrunk. I like orange slices and even these have a thinner biscuit than before. Maybe Arnott’s will say it is our eyes that have shrunk with age.’
But Arnott’s held their ground. ‘Similar to baking at home, there can be slight variations within an acceptable range. Each pack is weighed to ensure it meets the weight on the pack,’ Miller added.
So there was only one thing to be done… The SDC team went out to purchase a pack of Monte Carlo biscuits (purely for investigative journalism purposes, of course).
Here’s what we found.
Firstly, this pack was purchased from a Coles store in Sydney. The best-before date is February 2024, which we hoped suggested it was a recently manufactured batch.
Now, for the moment of truth…
Everything seemed to be… perfectly normal. In other words, a standard pack that we’ve all known and loved over the years.
In my unqualified but biscuit-loving opinion, it seems like the biscuit on the left may not have been pressed down enough to spread the filling. The SDC biscuit on the right looked to have a thinner spread of filling that covered more area. Though, it certainly seems like our pack still had more filling overall.
I can’t remember even eating a Monte Carlo until today (sacrilegious, I know), so I can’t speak to whether this is usual or not. However, someone on our team is a self-confessed Monte Carlo expert.
Maddie gave us the rundown as she strangely twisted the biscuit in half.
‘We could have just gotten a good pack although, as a Monte Carlo lover and as someone who always opens it like this [image below], it looks pretty normal to me and I can confirm that things are good.’ said Maddie.
Did we get lucky? Was the report earlier this week a once-off? Is this truly a ‘horror’ scenario for biscuit and cuppa lovers across the country? Only time will tell. But, if Maddie is to be believed, things may just be okay… for now at least.
We recognise that buying one pack isn’t an accurate sample size but have mercy on us; we can only eat so many biscuits…
One thing we do know for certain is that they still taste fantastic!
So, members, if you purchase a pack of Arnott’s Monte Carlos anytime soon, be sure to let us know what the batch looks like!
Why not even have a cuppa while you’re at it? It’s in the name of journalism, after all.
). You can read more about that here.SDC members, understandably, had a lot to say about the potential shrinking of the cream and jam swirl inside this classic biscuit.
Member @Jen77au offered some interesting insider insights: ‘Arnotts was my first ever job at 16! That was in the 1990s. I can definitely say that the Monte Carlo biscuit has definitely been affected by shrinkflation! The jam and cream filling were supposed to cover the majority of the inside, with small gaps on either side, according to quality control. If something like this had been produced back then, it would have been classed as a “reject” and been removed from selling to the public.’
Member @rehandra experienced this change firsthand: ‘I could not believe the size of the last pack (and it is definitely the last pack I will purchase). I showed my husband the size of the biscuit and he burst out laughing. They are so small now.’
Member @StarTrekker said: ‘Daughter and I said that there must be something wrong with their machine. It is not pushing them together properly. Maybe they are trying to save on power bills by reducing the time the biscuits are under pressure.’
Meanwhile, some members took a humorous approach. Member @Pat T said: ‘Maybe they’re aiming for “low calorie”.’
That certainly had us laughing!
In response to Arnott’s Quality Director, Rachael Miller, claiming ‘Monte Carlo has not changed in recent years,’ member @Marj53 countered: ‘Saying they have not changed is an outright "porky". Arnott’s biscuits have definitely shrunk. I like orange slices and even these have a thinner biscuit than before. Maybe Arnott’s will say it is our eyes that have shrunk with age.’
But Arnott’s held their ground. ‘Similar to baking at home, there can be slight variations within an acceptable range. Each pack is weighed to ensure it meets the weight on the pack,’ Miller added.
So there was only one thing to be done… The SDC team went out to purchase a pack of Monte Carlo biscuits (purely for investigative journalism purposes, of course).
Here’s what we found.
Firstly, this pack was purchased from a Coles store in Sydney. The best-before date is February 2024, which we hoped suggested it was a recently manufactured batch.
Image Credit: SDC
Now, for the moment of truth…
Image Credit: SDC
Everything seemed to be… perfectly normal. In other words, a standard pack that we’ve all known and loved over the years.
Image Credit: @jacquifelgate/Instagram (left) & SDC (right)
In my unqualified but biscuit-loving opinion, it seems like the biscuit on the left may not have been pressed down enough to spread the filling. The SDC biscuit on the right looked to have a thinner spread of filling that covered more area. Though, it certainly seems like our pack still had more filling overall.
I can’t remember even eating a Monte Carlo until today (sacrilegious, I know), so I can’t speak to whether this is usual or not. However, someone on our team is a self-confessed Monte Carlo expert.
Maddie gave us the rundown as she strangely twisted the biscuit in half.
‘We could have just gotten a good pack although, as a Monte Carlo lover and as someone who always opens it like this [image below], it looks pretty normal to me and I can confirm that things are good.’ said Maddie.
Image Credit: SDC
Did we get lucky? Was the report earlier this week a once-off? Is this truly a ‘horror’ scenario for biscuit and cuppa lovers across the country? Only time will tell.
But, if Maddie is to be believed, things may just be okay… for now at least.We recognise that buying one pack isn’t an accurate sample size but have mercy on us; we can only eat so many biscuits…
One thing we do know for certain is that they still taste fantastic!
So, members, if you purchase a pack of Arnott’s Monte Carlos anytime soon, be sure to let us know what the batch looks like!
Why not even have a cuppa while you’re at it? It’s in the name of journalism, after all.
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