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Nestlé has begun a consultation process regarding operational changes at two of its UK-based food facilities, in York, England and Girvan, Scotland, which could lead to job cuts at the sites.

According to reporting by local news outlet The York Press, staff at both sites were told by the interim factory manager that due to higher cocoa prices affecting sales, Nestlé will produce lower volumes of the popular KitKat chocolate bar brand for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.

This could lead to up to 66 potential redundancies across engineering, delivery and crumb production job roles as the company looks to ensure efficiency, The York Press' report states.

The price of cocoa has continued to rise since 2024, in large part due to a global shortage thanks to climate change and disease pressures impacting crops across Africa, which accounts for around 80% of the world’s cocoa output.

Nestle is one of the largest employers in the York area. Its site on Haxby Road, which produces KitKat products among other brands in the company’s confectionery portfolio, can produce more than 4 million KitKat bars a day according to the company's website.

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “We are proposing some changes at our York factory to ensure manufacturing at our site is as efficient as possible. The proposal may involve a reduction in the number of positions required.  As always, we are speaking to our employees about this proposal first and nothing will be confirmed until a consultation has been completed.”