La shrinkflation - less product for the same price - arouses new alarm among consumers. The phenomenon has been known for some time, but the stratification of increases in the prices of food and energy fuels the protests.
shrinkflation, old vices
The practice of masked price increases it is so stinging that the German Consumers' Association Hamburg Consumer Center for some years he has been dedicating the competition to it 'Shame of the year'. A race for the black palm that in the last edition saw Mondelez, Mars and Ferrero excel.
The Institute of Statistics in 2017, the British calculated that the practice of shrinkflation was applied to 2.500 products in 5 years.
Also in France the phenomenon arouses indignation. Foodwatch France has just launched a petition to ask the food industry for greater transparency on price increases.
The lighthouse lit by the Antitrust Authority
In Italy the phenomenon is over targeted by the Antitrust Authority last May. To provide further material useful to the Authority to establish whether the shrinkflation can be defined as a misleading commercial practice provides Altroconsumo.
The first association of Italian consumers has collected concrete cases thanks to the contribution of the ACmakers community and has promoted one petition to say no to expensive spending and ask the government to monitor price increases and to extend and make existing spending vouchers accessible to more people.
The Italian champions of the shrinkflation
According to Istat between 2012 and 2017 there were a total of 7.306 cases of weight changes or reduction of product packaging, Altroconsumo recalls.
The association indicates 5 exemplary cases:
- Philadelphia light (200 to 190 grams),
- Kinder Brioss (280 to 270 grams),
- Krumiri Bistefani (300 to 290 grams),
- Spumador drinks (from 1,5 to 1,15 liters),
- disposable handkerchiefs, 10 to 9 handkerchiefs per pack.
The other practices of hidden price increases
In addition to the technique shrinkflation, masked price increases flock to the technique of special formats. In this case, the brand launches a new version of an existing product, keeps the same price but reduces the quantity. The consumer already loyal to the brand falls into the trap very easily.
This practice it is applied for example on
- Gocciole Pavesi Caramel. With 200 g less compared to the packaging of the famous classic 500 g drops, the 'special' product costs 116% more, over 9 euros / kg,
- Barilla 'Al bronze' pasta, 100g cheaper than white or wholemeal pasta and higher price. 1,35 euros for a 400g pack, compared to the 500g packs at 0,99 euros for white pasta and 1,29 for wholemeal one,
- Splendid coffee. Pack of 250g for the Classic version and 225g for the 'Espresso' version, with a real surcharge of 19,6%,
- Galbusera biscuits. The 400g of the Turco become 330g in the PiùIntegrali. + 46% price increase. And again, Magretti with barley weigh 350g, those with added chocolate chips drop to 260g. Price + 19%.
On hold of institutional interventions all that remains is to apply the usual remedy: open eyes and comparisons only on the price per kg.
Cover image by Dee-Ann Durbin. No, you're not imagining it - package sizes are shrinking. It's the inflation you're not supposed to see. ABC News. 8.6.22. Bottle of Gatorade, 32 to 28 oz. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke)
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
