Crunch time for Arnott's after customers snap over 'new and improved' Shapes flavours

They're the biscuits that shaped a nation.

Barbecue, pizza, cheddar or savoury? Emotions run high when debating the flavours of Arnott's Shapes.

It's an issue that divides Australian schools, lounge rooms and workplaces, as much as it unites them.

So it's no surprise, Arnott's has come under fire for meddling with its iconic Shapes flavours.

Dismayed customers are turning their backs on the biscuit maker and have taken to social media in their hundreds to complain about the "new and improved" Shapes recipes released last month.

Last month, Arnotts introduced the new range where the Shapes flavour is baked into the biscuits, rather than the biscuits being coated in larger "seasoning sprinkles".

Many consumers are pleading with the company to change the savoury snacks back, with one even starting a petition on change.org.

Their issue is primarily with the taste and texture. Many customers say the Shapes have become too sweet, particularly the barbecue flavour, while the biscuit has become too soft and lacks crunch.

Others are lamenting the lack of flavour, as they are missing the "seasoning sprinkles" that often fall to the bottom of the packet where they can be picked up by sticky fingers and licked.

"All I can say is WHY???? I purchased the multi pack for my kids lunch boxes & they came home saying the shapes tasted awful!" wrote Gillian Davies on the Arnott's Shapes Facebook page.

Marc McDonald likened the change to a national crime.

"I have definitely purchased my last box of Shapes, well done," he wrote.

Neen Bennett‎ simply said: "They taste like s--t!"

Callum Johnstone wrote: "Your new BBQ shapes suck."

"There is no texture anymore. What did you do?" asked ‎Roland Pelns.

Chris Sinclair‎ declared: "The new shapes are disgusting, they taste nothing like the old ones and the pizza ones are quite possibly the most foul snack I've ever had the displeasure of tasting."

Melanie Scott appeared willing to take matters into her own hands: "Bring back the old BBQ shapes and no one gets hurt."

Even Raff, the six-year-old son of Melbourne-based comedian Dave Hughes, wrote to Arnott's expressing his concerns.

"The New Pizza Shapes are not good. Well, I don't like them. They do have a lot of flavour but it's too spicy. Kids might not like them," he wrote.

‎Arnott's spokeswoman Nicky Thomson insisted the company had tested the new flavour range with "thousands, literally thousands, of Shapes fans".

"And they told us they preferred the new flavours." she said.

"We know that people don't always appreciate change, but we think we've made the best Shapes yet."

Ms Thomson said the company was carefully monitoring the response from customers, noting that most of the "new and improved" flavours had not yet hit supermarket shelves.

The manufacturer's biggest sellers - BBQ Original and Chicken Crimpy - will still be available alongside the new flavours, she said.

Ms Thomson also noted that Savoury Shapes had not yet changed.

She said Arnott's made the changes in response to customers' requests for more flavour.

"Shapes were first designed in the 1950s and since then palates have changed and taste preferences are for bolder, stronger flavours," she said.

"Our chefs went away and explored how they could deliver it. One of the main problems we had was getting the flavour to stick onto the biscuits.

"We've solved this by employing new technology, which involves baking the flavour right into the biscuit and applying it to both sides.

"We also found that making the seasoning sprinkles smaller meant they stuck to the biscuit better."

But despite Arnott's best intention, many customers aren't satisfied and some suspect there might be a marketing ploy at play.

"I think some evil genius said something like ... 'people will clear the shelves of any remaining shapes, we'll put the sh--ty replacement ones on the shelf for a week or so, and then bow down to the public's demands and bring back the shapes. We'll be heroes, everyone will remember how much they love shapes, and people will believe in democracy again'," Geoff Burrows wrote.

Chris Sinclair‎ agreed: "It seems to me that this is a tactic to get everyone riled up and talking about shapes, then, Boom! Change back to the old recipe and sales skyrocket."

Jack Saunders from Melbourne perhaps summed up best the role of the Arnott's Shape in Australian society.

"This biscuit shaped a nation," he wrote.

"I cannot believe this has happened. What did we do wrong, Arnotts?"