Shrinkflation: There's now a label to warn consumers

Smaller packages and higher prices: a trick and a waste that's become all the rage. This must now be pointed out to shoppers.

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shrinkflation
Same price, but smaller quantity. When faced with a real scam, they become a common practice for many food companies, and finally, they're starting to take action. Those who practice it shrinkflation In Italy, this will have to be clearly communicated to consumers, by announcing it on the label. The new rules will come into force in April 2025, with two limitations, the result of compromises with food industry lobbies: the new label will not be permanent, but will only remain visible for six months from the date of the change. Furthermore, it will not apply to every increase in unit price, but only to cases where the increase is directly linked to a reduction in quantity.
In English the phenomenon is called shrinkflation, or shrink, which means to narrow, and flattening, inflation. The grocery it has become entangled in a vicious cycle of increasing raw materials, inflation and speculationThe result is that everything has become more expensive, even through the disguise of packaging changes. Two examples. Carbonated drinks that were once sold in 1.5-liter containers now appear on supermarket shelves in the smaller 1,35-liter version. But the price per liter has gone from 1,13 euros to 1,22. Quite a leap. Cat food used to cost 3,16 euros per kilo, in 100-gram containers; now the can holds 85 grams, but the price has skyrocketed to 4,21 euros per kilo. At this point, all that's left is cat food. prepare it at homeMeanwhile in Italy there are approximately 10.000 products sold with the system shrinkflation.

The trick of reducing the quantity of the product does not only happen through the shrinking of the packaging, but also by inserting a smaller quantity of what the consumer is purchasing inside it. Thus, the paper tissues go from ten to nine, the detergent liquid (a typical household cleaning product that we can make in property) decreases by 10-15 percent, the pasta in the boxes is being cut, like the yogurt in the jars. Anything to leave the producers' profit margins unchanged.

The products most affected by this diabolical maneuver by the producers are consumer goods. Such as food packages pasta which have dropped from half a kilo to 400 grams, with the same price. The toothpaste tube has shrunk from 100 to 75 ml. Bags of potato chips have been designed to hold at least 10 fewer chips.

The reasons companies use to justify their covert price increases border on the ridiculous. Some recite the usual sustainability tale, claiming that smaller packages translate into less waste and less pollution. This isn't true. If anything, the opposite is true: smaller packages are sold in greater quantities, thus burdening the waste disposal chain. Other companies claim that by purchasing smaller products and lower weights, families are encouraged to waste less. This remains to be seen, while it is certain that they pay more, and not a little. In this scenario, consumers are left with do-it-yourself defenses. And they are not useless. First: check the price per weight on the label. Second: prefer, when possible, stores with bulk products. Third: compare brands and product quality before making a choice.

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