Some in Britain aghast as Cadbury Creme Egg maker changes recipe

Mondelez International, maker of Cadbury Creme Eggs, has tweaked the recipe of the chocolate shell of its gooey treats ahead of their main Easter selling season, sparking an angry response in Cadbury's home market of Britain.

US group Mondelez said on Monday that the Creme Egg would now use a "standard, traditional Cadbury milk chocolate" for its shell, rather than sharing the same recipe as Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate as it has done in the past.

The move prompted a furious response from some shoppers in Britain, where trade unions and some politicians were critical of the sale of the near two-centuries-old Cadbury brand to Mondelez's predecessor company, Kraft, in 2010.

The change only affects Creme Eggs made in Britain. Those sold in North America are manufactured by Hershey.

Mondelez, which last year stopped selling Cadbury chocolate coins, also reduced the number of Creme Eggs sold in its multipacks to five from six, citing "a range of economic factors".