Cadbury is launching a new Dairy Milk bar with 30 per cent less sugar as part of industry efforts to tackle the obesity crisis.

Fans of the original, however, have no need to fear as Cadbury, which is owned by Mondelez, will continue to produce it.

Glenn Caton, president of Mondelez’s Northern Europe division, said the new bar was ‘being offered as an alternative to, not a replacement for Dairy Milk’.

He added: ‘It’s like Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero. Cadbury Dairy Milk doesn’t change, people love it.

‘I’m not a clairvoyant but I’d imagine original Dairy Milk will always be on the shelves.’

The sugar removed has not been replaced by artificial sweeteners – a process which often leads to a slightly less sweet treat.

Instead, a form of a naturally occurring fibre will be used to bulk out the other ingredients and retain the chocolate’s signature grainy structure.

20 scientists, nutritionists and chocolatiers were involved in the research for almost two years to develop the new confectionery. They insist the new bar tastes as good as the original, but the two kinds of chocolate will continue to be sold alongside each other.

The new bar, which will sit alongside the standard bar on shelves, will go on sale from 2019.

Cadbury brand hopes to show that it is playing its role in tackling obesity, including childhood obesity, in the UK.