General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Prices of consumer goods are increasing at the fastest rate in 40 years.The term shrinkflation describes brands selling smaller amounts of product for the same price as before.It’s a sneaky way for brands to hide growing prices.See more stories on Insider’s business page .Ingredients and manufacturing are getting more expensive amid soaring inflation, and it usually results in two things: higher prices or smaller-sized products.
Consumer food prices have jumped 10.9% over the past year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics – the biggest 12-month increase since 1979.Margarine, coffee, soup, and eggs are among the worst-hit food items, per the BLS data.Egg prices have increased nearly 40%.
Some companies don’t want to hike prices, though, in case this deters shoppers.
Instead, they’re maintaining a similar price point by subtly making their products smaller.This includes making candy bars sold in multipacks smaller than ones being sold individually, or changing the shape of their products so you can barely notice the difference in weight.
But customers are starting to notice.
This phenomenon, known as shrinkflation , was already happening before the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to get worse as inflation persists, pushing up how much manufacturers and retailers pay for both raw materials and labor.
TikTok users have been posting about the trend, encouraging shoppers to look more closely at the weights of what they buy and make sure they’re still getting value for money.Some of these videos are getting hundreds of thousands of views.
Yelp said in July that shoppers and diners have started to post reviews referencing smaller portion sizes, too.The site said that hot dogs, burgers, and pizzas were the food categories where reviewers mentioned shrinkflation the most.
Frito-Lay shrank bags of some of its Dorito’s from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces.
Bags in both of these sizes, as well as some 9.5-ounce bags, are currently for sale at Target for the same price.”We took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price and you can keep enjoying your chips,” a Frito-Lay spokesperson told Quartz.Target website Sources: Target , Quartz
Gatorade redesigned its 32 ounces bottle to be “more aerodynamic and it’s easier to grab,” a representative told Quartz in March.The new design holds 28 ounces – a 14% drop, despite both bottles being the same height.Pepsico Source: Quartz
Pizza giant Domino’s said in January that it would be cutting down the number of chicken wings in its $7.99 national promotion from 10 to eight, attributing the decision to the rising price of the protein.It also made the deal online-only to save on the expense of having someone work the phone.
Alan Diaz/AP Source: Insider
Earlier this year, Burger King reduced the number of chicken nuggets in its $4.49 meals from 10 pieces to eight.I tried Burger King’s new vegan chicken nuggets.
Grace Dean/Insider Sources: Insider , Burger King
Walmart Great Value Paper Towels dropped from 168 sheets per roll to only 120, while the price stayed the same.Walmart increased paper towel prices.Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Source: The Washington Post
Hershey cut down its 18-ounce pack of dark chocolate Kisses by almost two ounces.Hollis Johnson/Business Insider Source: The Washington Post
Hefty’s mega pack went from 90 bags to 80 bags, at the same price.
Courtesy of Hefty Source: The Washington Post
A two-pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups used to weigh 1.6 ounces.
Now it’s just 1.5 ounces.Julia Ewan/The Washington Post via Getty Images Source: Confectionery News
In Canada, Quaker has reduced the size of its Chewy bars from 0.92 ounces to 0.84 ounces, CNBC reported.Photos of actor Miranda Cosgrove posing with Quaker bars show that they weighed 0.84 ounces in 2010, but some photos from 1990 show they weighed 0.99 ounces back then.Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Sources: CNBC , Target
Cans of Pringles are different weights depending on the flavor in the US, but at Target they all cost the same.Target website Source: Target
Trade publication The Grocer reported that Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, was shaving 50 grams (1.76 ounces) off some of its ready meals.
Tesco website Source: The Grocer
Some of Royal Canin’s cans of cat food now weigh 5.1 ounces, down from 5.9 ounces – but they still cost the same.Royal Canin, a subsidiary of Mars, said that it had reduced some product sizes because of “unprecedented demand” for pet food during the pandemic.Target Source: The Washington Post
Tillamook decreased the size of its ice-cream cartons from 56 ounces to 48 ounces.It said that it didn’t make the decision lightly, but that if it didn’t make its cartons smaller it would have had to hike prices because of rising ingredients costs.Tillamook Source: Tillamook
General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces – a drop of nearly 10%.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Source: NPR
Cereal brands frequently make the shrinkflation list.Post downsized Cocoa Pebbles and other family-size boxes from 20.5 to 19.5 ounces, according to consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky’s watchdog website.Rebecca Harrington/Tech Insider Source: Consumer World
Quaker’s Life cereal also shrunk from 24.8 ounce to 22.3, and it was renamed from “giant” to “family” size – even though the box actually got bigger.Amazon Source: Consumer World
Cottonelle’s Ultra Clean Care toilet paper is down to 312 sheets from 340.Staples Source: Associated Press
Bounty Triples reduced sheet count from 165 sheets to 147.Procter & Gamble told Quartz that it’s still a better deal than before because the sheets are more absorbent.Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider Source: Quartz
Cadbury changed the shape of its famous Dairy Milk bars in 2013 – and changed the size of them, too.
The individual pieces now have rounded edges and contain nearly 10% less chocolate than before.Lucy Lillystone Source: BBC
But Dairy Milk isn’t the only product Cadbury, owned by Mondelez, has shrunk over the years.Chocolate bars it sells in multipacks weigh much less than ones it sells individually – and it announced plans to shrink down the size of multipack bars even further still.Grace Dean/Insider via Tesco Source: BBC
Mondelez also owns Swiss chocolate company Toblerone, which makes distinctively triangular chocolate bars.In 2014 it reduced the weight of its bars by 25% by adding more space between each piece – but reversed the decision two years later after public outcry.Amanda Evertz/Spoon University Source: BBC
Crest shrunk 3D White Radiant Mint toothpaste from 4.1 to 3.8 ounces.Procter & Gamble’s Crest toothpaste fills the shelves of a grocery store on Thursday, June 14, 2018, in Aventura, Fla.
Brynn Anderson/AP Photo Source: Quartz
Wheat Thins changed its family size from 16 to 14 ounces, with about 28 fewer crackers per box.
Costco Source: Quartz
Chobani minimized its Flips yogurt from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces.Facebook Source: The Los Angeles Times
Pedigree changed the size of some dry dog foods from 50 lbs to 44 lbs while keeping prices the same, according to Dwyer’s website.Reuters Source: Consumer World
Folgers reduced its 51-ounce container down to 43.5 ounces, but the company says it makes the same number of cups of coffee thanks to lighter beans.Steven Senne/ AP Source: Associated Press
Procter & Gamble reportedly shrunk its Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection conditioner from 12 fluid ounces down to 10.4 while the price stayed the same.Pantene Source: Associated Press
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