A new version of the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar containing 30 per cent less sugar has gone on sale as part of industry efforts to respond to the obesity crisis.

Cadbury owner Mondelez International has described the new bar as the “most significant innovation in the brand’s history”.

Cadbury brand manager Katrina Davison said: “We’ve recognised that there is an increasing trend for people wanting to manage their sugar intake.”

Some of the sugar has been replaced with fibre to maintain the structure and texture, but Mondelez has described the taste of the new bar as “incredibly similar”.