'I was like, wow, look at that': 1991 Mars Bar found after 35 years during Scunthorpe house clearance leaves social media stunned as 62.5g chocolate bar sparks shrinkflation debate

A 35-year-old Mars Bar discovered during a house clearance in UK's Scunthorpe has gone viral after its surprisingly large size was compared with the chocolate bars sold in shops today.

The old Mars Bar, which has a best-before date of 1991, weighs 62.5g. By comparison, a modern Mars Bar weighs 40g, prompting social media users to debate how much chocolate bars have shrunk over the years and whether the discovery is a striking example of “shrinkflation”.

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The unusual discovery of Mars Bar was made by Victoria Gordon, who runs the cleaning service Pocket Rockets. She came across the chocolate bar while helping clear a hoarder’s house, where much of what she found dated back several decades.

35-year-old Mars Bar found during house clearance

Gordon said the Mars Bar immediately caught her attention because of its size. “It was nearly as big as my hand, which was kind of why I noticed it,” she said.

Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Gordon explained that the property was packed with old items when she spotted the chocolate bar. “We were clearing out a hoarder's house and everything we were rooting through was decades old.

“This Mars Bar stood out to me because as I picked it up it was nearly the whole length of my hand. “I was like, 'Wow, look at the size of that!'”

Gordon later posted a photograph showing the vintage 62.5g Mars Bar beside a modern 40g version.

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Why the old Mars Bar has sparked a ‘shrinkflation’ debate

The discovery has resonated with people familiar with the term “shrinkflation”. Shrinkflation refers to a product becoming smaller or lighter while its price remains the same or does not fall proportionately. It has become a common talking point as consumers have faced higher food and household costs.

In this case, the comparison between a 62.5g Mars Bar from 1991 and a 40g bar today makes the change particularly easy to see.

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The older bar is 22.5g heavier than the current one, meaning the 1991 version contained more than 50% more product by weight than today's 40g bar.

However, the difference in size alone does not necessarily establish that the product was reduced specifically because of shrinkflation. Mars has pointed to changes in consumer demand, manufacturing costs and cocoa prices when explaining how its products have changed over time.

Mars explains why its bar sizes have changed

A spokesperson for Mars addressed the comparison and said the company has changed its bar sizes and packaging formats over the years.

“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.”

Who makes Mars Bars?

Mars Bars are made by Mars, Incorporated, the US company behind several major food and confectionery brands.

The company owns brands including Celebrations, Galaxy, Hotel Chocolat, M&M's and Maltesers, as well as non-chocolate brands such as Dreamies, Hubba Bubba, Pedigree and Whiskas.

Mars was founded in 1883 by Frank C Mars in Minnesota. The company’s history began with chocolate, with Mars learning the craft of making confectionery from his mother, Elva.

Mars Bars were first made by hand in Slough, Berkshire, in 1932 and continue to be produced in the town.

The vintage Mars Bar could become a ‘gold mine’

Gordon initially considered throwing away the decades-old chocolate bar after finding it during the clear-out.

Instead, she photographed it and shared the discovery online.

The post has since attracted significant attention, including on TikTok, where viewers have been fascinated by the dramatic difference between the vintage and modern versions.

Gordon, who regularly shares videos from her work clearing hoarded homes, admitted she was surprised by the response.

“I do post some hoarding videos but I've never had anything go this viral,” she said.

She also joked that the old Mars Bar might now be worth holding on to. “It's so fascinating what people find so interesting. I almost put it in the skip [but] I might do a UK tour with it.”

For now, Gordon is unsure what she will ultimately do with the 35-year-old chocolate bar. But after seeing how much attention it has received, the once-forgotten Mars Bar may have become considerably more valuable as a piece of nostalgia, even if it is no longer something anyone would want to eat.