A slew of vegans have blasted Cadbury for its very ‘poor ethical and marketing decision’ of adding milk to Bournville’s Giant Buttons.

Classic chocolate brand Cadbury is under fire after it revealed that its popular product under the Bournville brand is no longer vegan.

The chocolate giant recently updated Bournville Giant Buttons’ ingredient list to include ‘milk’ as an active ingredient.

“The buttons have been, by default, accidentally vegan ever since they were launched, having Dairy as a “May Contain” allergen warning,” Food account Vegan Food UK wrote on Instagram.

“Now Cadbury have added milk as an active ingredient, which makes them 100% NOT VEGAN.”

It added: “This is really sad times as we all know the cruelty to cows in using dairy in anything.”

Backlash

The announcement sparked fury online with thousands of vegans expressing their ‘disappointment’.

“Noooooo!!!!! why would they do this? They were perfect as they were,” wrote one user.

“This is beyond disappointing! Literally, what’s the need to add milk back in? Pointless,” added another.

“Wow, very poor ethical and marketing decision, definitely a backwards step,” a third commented.

Many also blasted the company for pulling a ‘marketing gimmick’ by introducing milk so that it could later release a vegan version with a ramped-up price.

Vegan chocolate

While the buttons are no longer vegan, Cadbury’s Bournville Dark Chocolate bars remain dairy-free.

Moreover, several brands are releasing vegan versions of their most popular products.

Recently food giant Nestlé released a vegan Kitkat made from rice-milk chocolate and KitKat’s iconic wafer. It is now available nationwide.

Stateside, vegan start-up Trupo Treats raised almost $150,000 – after launching a second crowdfunded this April – for its ethical chocolate venture.

The New York-based company will use the money for the production of three new chocolate bars –  a vegan ‘KitKat’ inspired by Nestlé, a multi-layered Mylk Chocolate Wafer Bar, and a Mylk Chocolate Caramel Cookie. The chocolates are only available on pre-order at the moment.

Trupo Treats is looking to launch Trupo Treats in the UK this autumn.

• Read: Beyond Meat just launched new vegan chicken tenders in 400 restaurants across the US

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