Nestle scales down its Killer Pythons

Nestle has halved the size of its Killer Pythons as part of a broader move to scale back the portion sizes of its confectionery products.

Although it still has the same recipe, taste and stretchiness, the new “treat size” Killer Python weighs 24g, or 336kJ, just a little over half the size of the 47g, 630kJ original.

Allen’s Killer Pythons will also be one of the first products in Nestle’s range to include a new consumer-friendly portion guidance device.

Nestle says the move is part of a broader effort to help Australians better manage their health, by controlling the amount of food, especially treats, they eat.

“We’re now offering confectionery with responsibly sourced ingredients, on-pack portion education and changes such as revised portion sizes and resealable packaging,” Nestle general manager – Confectionery, Martin Brown, said.

“It’s part of helping people improve their nutrition, health and wellness, and underlines our fundamental belief that for a company to be successful, it must also create value for society,” he said.

Fitting with this philosophy, the company reportedly took a global decision that no serving be more than 10 per cent of a child's daily energy intake.

Dietitian Melanie McGrice said that shrinking confectionery portions to a more appropriate single serve is one step in helping people control their nutritional intake.

“A 10 year old can now run off a Killer Python in around 30 minutes. With the previous size, it would have taken almost an hour,” she said.

The price of the Pythons will also be halved, no doubt in reponse to recent publicity around the the trend of product shrinkage from manufacturers of chips, cereals, chocolate bars and even beer.

Consumer advocacy organisation Choice spoke out recently against food companies that reduced their portion sizes while maintaining the same price and package size.

Allen’s treat size Killer Pythons will be in stores in Australia from this month.