Lion (chocolate bar) facts for kids
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| Owner | Nestlé |
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| Introduced | 1976 |
| Related brands | Lion Cereal |
| Previous owners | Rowntree's |
The Lion is a popular chocolate bar made by Nestlé. It was first created by a British company called Rowntree's in 1976. A Lion bar has a crispy wafer inside. It also has gooey caramel and crunchy cereals. All of this is covered in yummy milk chocolate.
Contents
The Story of Lion Bars
The Lion bar first came out in 1976. It was made by a company called Rowntree's in Newcastle, England. Later, in 1988, a Swiss company named Nestlé bought Rowntree's. Because of this, the making of Lion bars moved to a factory in Dijon, France.
Changes to the Lion Bar (2004–2007)
In 2004, Nestlé spent a lot of money to make the Lion bar popular again. They wanted to sell more of them across Europe. This included countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Nestlé decided to focus on teenage boys as their main customers. Before this, Lion bars were mostly for men aged 18 to 34. As part of their plan, Nestlé worked with the TV channel Animal Planet. They had special promotions in many stores in the UK. They gave away over 650,000 Lion bars to people.
Nestlé also changed the chocolate bar's recipe. They made it lighter and milkier. The caramel became softer too. They also made the wafer smaller. More cream and crispy bits were added to the bar.
However, sales of Lion bars went down after these changes. Between 2004 and 2005, sales dropped by 18%. The total amount of Lion bars sold also decreased a lot.
In 2007, Nestlé sold its factory in Dijon. They decided to have another company make the Lion bars for them.
Recent Events (2017–Present)
On July 20, 2017, something unusual happened. A truck carrying 25 tons of Lion bars caught fire. This happened on a road in Kent, England. The fire caused a lot of traffic jams. Luckily, the truck driver was not hurt. The reason for the fire was not known.
In October 2021, a new kind of Lion bar came out. It was called the "Wild Peanut Lion Bar." This version had peanuts in it. It was first sold only in B&M stores. Then, in 2022, it became available in other shops too.
Lion Cereal
Nestlé also makes a breakfast cereal called "Lion Cereal." It is meant to taste like the chocolate bar. It has chocolate, caramel, and whole grain ingredients.
In 2004, a group called the Consumers' Association looked at different cereals. They said Lion Cereal was one of the unhealthiest. They found it had a lot of sugar. It had as much sugar as the Lion chocolate bar itself. It also had more fat and salt than recommended.
In 2016, another group studied cereals. They found that Lion Cereal still had a lot of sugar. It had over two teaspoons of sugar in one serving.
In January 2020, Nestlé did something fun. They made a perfume that smelled like Lion Cereal! They made only 300 bottles of it in France.
In 2021, Lion Cereal launched a special contest. It was called "King of the Jingle." People could create a short song or "jingle" for the cereal. Many people entered, and winners were chosen by famous singers.
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