From toothpaste to lasagna, speculation is the rule. The British consumer association Which? publishes a list of products emblematic of the shrinkflation (less product, same price) and skimpflation (downgrading with substitution of cheaper ingredients) phenomena. (1)
Shrinkflation and skimpflation, the complaints
The list of the speculations carried out by industry and retail, to the sound of shrinkflation and skimpflation, has been compiled thanks to the reports and interviews collected by Which? to consumers starting from autumn 2023.
Over three quarters (77%) of consumers surveyed noted a reduction in content for the same price for many popular products. In some cases, the rudeness even included a price increase for a small quantity.
Over a third (36%) of those interviewed instead reported cases of skimpflation on popular foods, degraded with the inclusion of low-cost ingredients in the recipe to replace the more valuable ones highlighted on the packaging.
Less product, increased price
Among the worst examples of shrinkflation include products of mass consumption (and large profits) for which the reduction in content has been burdened by an increase in the selling price. A practice exposed for many years and to which the German consumers’ association Hamburg Consumer Center dedicates the ‘Shame of the Year’ competition. (2,3)
A few examples.
– Listerine Fresh Burst mouthwash it was reduced from 600 ml to 500 ml. Furthermore, the price of this product increased by 52 cents at the Tesco chain. Result: price increased by 21% and content reduced by 17%. Which? calculated that the unfair practice led to a real increase in prices of 46%.
– PG Tips. Tasty Decaf Pyramid tea bags they decreased from 180 to 140 sachets. In one case, at the Ocado supermarket, the price even increased (from £4 to £5,09). Result: -22% of tea, price increased by 27%, real price increase of 64% for each tea bag.
Less product, same price
Widespread turns out to be the ‘pure’ practice of shrinkflation. British consumers report several products with reduced content at the same price:
– Andrex Flushable Washlets have decreased from 40 to 26 pieces,
– the Bisto Best Chicken Gravy Granules dehydrated chicken gravy jar has gone from 250g to 230g,
– Cadbury’s Brunch Chocolate Chip Bars sweet snacks have decreased from six to five in a pack,
– Colgate Triple Action toothpaste has been reduced from 100 ml to 75 ml,
– the Kettle Chips with sea salt and those with ground black pepper have been reduced in the bag from 150g to 130g.
Much more ‘lightened’ are other products, like
– Lurpak Slightly Salted butter, from 225g to 180g,
– McVitie’s Digestives Dark Chocolate biscuits, from 433g to 400g,
– Yeo Valley Organic Salted Spreadable organic butter and rapeseed oil spread from 500g to 400g,
– the instant coffee stain preparation Coffee Mate Original Whitener from 500g to 450g.
Low cost ingredients
The other technique to inflate profits by deceiving consumers, it involves replacing ingredients with less valuable ‘substitutes’. Also in this case, British consumers report concrete cases:
– pork has dropped from 97% to 90% in Tesco Finest sausages,
– in the Yeo Valley Spreadable Butter spread the percentage of butter has been reduced from 54% to 50%,
– in Morrisons Guacamole (150g) the percentage of avocado has decreased from 80% to 77%.
Minor changes, but always significant for a downgrade, were reported for
– Tesco beef lasagne (1,5kg), with beef reduced from 23% to 19%,
– the Tesco Tex Mex chicken enchiladas (scones) (480 g), with the chicken content reduced from 27% to 20%,
– Morrisons The Best Baked Lasagne (400g), with a reduction in beef from 30% to 26%.
The lies of the industry
To deny the evidence it’s impossible, but sugarcoating reality is a viable option. The producers interviewed by Which? they said the changes they introduced often reflected their own costs or helped keep products more accessible to consumers.
In some cases they even claimed that their modifications had improved the flavor or healthiness of a product.
Consumer opinion
Consumer opinion on shrinkflation practices it is not obvious:
– almost half (45%) of those interviewed say they would prefer to pay a price increase for the same quantity. After all, think about the doses needed to cook a meal and the difficulty of maintaining the usual portions with packages reduced by 20%,
– over a third (36%) say they prefer to have less product rather than face price increases.
Much more uniform is consumer criticism of shrinkflation:
– 75% of those interviewed consider it an opaque, non-transparent practice,
– 76% believe it is not useful.
A word of warning on the contraction of packaging is invoked by everyone:
– over half (53%) of those interviewed believe that supermarkets should warn customers,
– a third (32%) believes that the warning is up to the food producers.
The unit price anchor
Any modification of the products, in terms of quantity or recipe, according to Which? must be clearly communicated to the consumer, so that he can choose any alternatives that are more convenient or suitable to expectations.
The unit price, i.e. the price per kg or per litre, is the only useful parameter in comparing the cost of products. In the UK, the Antitrust is working intensely on it, as we have seen, also with the participation of Which? (4)
‘Supermarkets and manufacturers need to be more honest by making sure changes to popular products are clear and ensuring that i unit prices are clearly visible, legible and coherent in-store and online so shoppers can easily compare prices across different brands and pack sizes‘, comments Ele Clark, Retail Editor of Which?
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) Shrinkflation or Skimpflation? Which? reveals the supermarket groceries getting downsized and downgraded. Which? Press release. 20.1.24 http://tinyurl.com/5n8n22ey
(2) Marta Strinati. Consumers against shrinkflation and other hidden price increases. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(3) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Masked increases. 5 candidates for the ‘Shame of the Year’ competition. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(4) Dario Dongo. Greedflation and shrinkflation, survey in the UK. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.1.24 https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/greedflation-e-shrinkflation-indagine-in-uk/
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
