FRUIT & Nut chocolate bars costing just £1.35 have been locked away in security boxes at Co-op branches.
The treats became the latest everyday item to be protected from thieves in the shoplifting epidemic.
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Cadbury’s other favourite, Dairy Milk Caramel, has also been locked up.
Co-ops in upmarket Cambridge and parts of London have put them in the tagged plastic boxes.
Matthew Moore, browsing shelves in London, said: “It’s extraordinary. I stopped and stared, thinking perhaps there was something special about the chocolate.
“What next? A security- tagged 25p Freddo?”
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Readers have also spotted instant coffee, butter, shortbread and oven chips with security tags at shops around the country.
A Co-op spokesman said: “Our staff’s safety is a key priority and security cases form part of a range of preventative measures to deter thieves.
“Retail crime is driven by repeat and prolific offenders and is often a flashpoint for abuse and attacks on retail workers.
“Products in security cases tend to be high-value items but other goods can be secured if there is a local issue.”
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