Toblerone is being forced to drop its iconic packaging (which currently features a famous Swiss mountain) – and this means a hidden symbol in the design might have to be removed, too.
The famous chocolate (you know, the one which is arranged in pyramid shapes that you can snap off and then not share with anyone else), is expected to undergo a makeover soon, all because of Swiss law.
The bar – made with Swiss milk, honey and almond nougat – is built entirely around its Swiss origins, with the chocolate itself arranged in shapes meant to mirror an Alpine peak.
The packaging also includes the Matterhorn mountain, a 14,692 ft (4,478m) giant which has one of the highest peaks in Europe. If you look closely, you’ll also see the silhouette of a bear standing on its hind legs within the sketch of the summit, too.
It’s believed to be a reference to Bern, Switzerland’s capital. The city is named after the animal, so that explains why it features on so many symbols across the capital.
But, US firm Mondelez has now revealed that the image will be replaced with a more generic mountain now due to strict rules around “Swissness”.
Since 2017, national symbols can only be used to promote milk-based products that are exclusively made in Switzerland.
For other non-milk-based produce, the threshold is at 80%.
Mondelez has told the BBC that it was moving production of Toblerone outside of Switzerland to “respond to increased demand worldwide and to grow our Toblerone brand for the future”.
It added that its new iconic packaging will have a new typeface and logo which draws “inspiration from the Toblerone archives”, along with the founder Tobler’s signature.
Toblerone first launched in 1908 in Bern and featured the Bernese bear and eagle.
The packaging we all associate with the chocolate now has only been in place since 1970, so there is a chance we will see more of the local bear once the rebrand comes into place.
Mondelez has also said that Bern will continue to be part of the brand.
This isn’t the first time Toblerone has made headlines by deviating from its roots – it changed the design back in 2016 by spacing out the chocolate pyramids to reduce costs, but reverted back in 2018 amid criticism.