A 35-year-old Mars Bar found during a house clearance in Scunthorpe has gone viral, highlighting claims that food companies are engaging in "shrinkflation". The bar weighs 62.5g, which is 56% more than the current 40g weight of a Mars Bar. Victoria Gordon, who discovered the bar, posted a photo on social media and plans to possibly take it on a UK tour after initially considering throwing it away. A spokesperson for Mars Incorporated stated that updates to their bar sizes have been made over the years in response to consumer demand and external factors such as manufacturing costs.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A 35-year-old Mars Bar from 1991 has been discovered during a house clearance in Scunthorpe, sparking claims that it highlights the phenomenon of "shrinkflation". The chocolate bar, which weighs 62.5g, is significantly larger than today's Mars Bars, which weigh just 40g. Victoria Gordon, who runs a cleaning service and found the old bar, posted a photo on social media showing the size difference between the two bars. She said she was surprised by the large size of the old bar, which nearly fit in the palm of her hand. The discovery has gone viral online, with some speculating that the old Mars Bar could be valuable due to its age and rarity. A spokesperson for Mars, Incorporated, the company that makes Mars Bars, stated that they have made changes to their bar sizes over the years based on consumer demand and other factors.
Written for “Vintage Snack Size Comparison” on 2026-08-31,
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No political leaning scored for article 658 · logged 2026-08-27
- Published
A 35-year-old Mars Bar has been found during a house clearance – and the discovery has gone viral amid claims it highlights the effect of "shrinkflation".
uncertain
it → publish → shrinkflation
The chocolate bar with a best-before date of 1991 was found during a clear-out of a house in Scunthorpe.
asserted
bar → find → Scunthorpe
Victoria Gordon, who runs the cleaning service, posted a photo on social media of the 62.5g bar alongside one of today's Mars Bars, which is 40g.
"It was nearly as big as my hand, which was kind of why I noticed it," she said.
asserted
she → run → it
Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Gordon said: "We were clearing out a hoarder's house and everything we were rooting through was decades old.
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we → speak → house
"This Mars Bar stood out to me because as I picked it up it was nearly the whole length of my hand.
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it → stand → hand
"I was like, 'Wow, look at the size of that!'"
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I → look → that
Who makes Mars Bars?
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Who → make → Bars
Mars Bars are made by US company Mars, Incorporated.
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Bars → make → Incorporated
The manufacturer also owns several other chocolate brands including Celebrations chocolate tubs, Galaxy, Hotel Chocolat, M&Ms and Maltesers.
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manufacturer → own → tubs
It also owns non-chocolate brands including Dreamies, Hubba Bubba, Pedigree and Whiskas.
asserted
It → own → Dreamies
The company was founded in 1883 by Frank C Mars, from Minnesota, with his mother Elva teaching him how to hand-dip chocolate.
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mother → found → chocolate
Mars Bars were first made by hand in Slough, Berkshire in 1932 and are still made in the town.
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Bars → make → town
A Mars spokesperson said: "Over the last 35 years, we have made a number of updates to our bar sizes and pack formats to reflect consumer demand, alongside considering wider external factors such as manufacturing costs and the price of cocoa."
asserted
we → say → cocoa
Gordon, who runs Pocket Rockets, is not sure what she will do with the bar, but she said she might be sitting on a "gold mine".
uncertain
she → run → mine
"I do post some hoarding videos but I've never had anything go this viral," she said.
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she → post → videos
"It's so fascinating what people find so interesting.
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people → find → ?
I almost put it in the skip [but] I might do a UK tour with it."
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I → put → it
