Product review: Kvikk Lunsj

If you grew up in the UK, and hang out with Norwegians, sooner or later, someone will ask: do you prefer Kvikk Lunsj or Kit Kat? During my last visit to Norway, I decided that I ought to have an opinion, and compared the two products. I had to do a side-by-side comparison because the two chocolate bars resemble each other so closely.

Appearance

The first time I saw Kvikk Lunsj, I thought it looked just like a Kit Kat. You have to unwrap them side-by-side to see the subtle differences.

You immediately see that the Kvikk Lunsj has slightly bigger dimensions. This already looks better, because every bit of chocolate counts. Also, the chocolate has a slightly different colour, foreshadowing a more significant difference.

Taste

The Kvikk Lunsj’s chocolate tastes ever so slightly different. The review in The Guardian claims, or perhaps deduces, that the chocolate and quick clutch tastes more like Milka, which has the same parent company.

Personal taste varies. In this case, it probably depends on whether you find foreign chocolate exotic or just incorrect. But in the end, it doesn’t matter what kind of difference you taste, because your childhood experience defines correct chocolate flavour more than anything else.

Texture

After biting off a piece, it seemed Kvikk Lunsj has more chocolate for the same amount of wafer. However, I might have just imagined this, based on the larger appearance. Either way, I don’t know where to draw the line between chocolate with wafer inside, and chocolate-covered wafer.

Kvikk Lunsj and Kit Kat have a shape texture so similar, that this feels like the smallest difference between them. In fact, the shape’s similarity ended up in court.

Litigation

Back in 2006, Nestlé, who own Kit Kat, got an EU trademark for Kit Kat’s shape. This soon led to a series of court cases and appeals from Mondelez, who own Kvikk Lunsj.

Later, in 2018, BBC News reported a European Court of Justice ruling that Kit Kat’s shape failed to meet the criteria for European trademark protection. Apparently, only people in some member states recognise the shape as distinctly Kit Kat’s.

Controversy

Mondelez International and Nestlé also have both had their share of controversy. I hesitate to call one more ethical than the other, but while Mondelez International’s Wikipedia page lists a number of controversies, Nestlé gets a dedicated Controversies of Nestlé page. Not a good look, Nestlé.

Either way, both companies have connections to child labour in cocoa production. So even if Kvikk Lunsj scores better than Kit Kat, you probably shouldn’t buy either.

Diversity

When you visit Norway, from elsewhere in Europe, and go a supermarket, you’ll find many unfamiliar products. In the spirit of celebrating this diversity, and rooting for the less famous alternative, let’s say that Kvikk Lunsj beats Kit Kat, if only because of how cool its relative obscurity make it. And if you’ve never had a Kvikk Lunsj, I hope you now want to try one.