Downsizing / Shrinkflation

Here are products that have shrunken in size as a sneaky way for manufacturers to pass on a hidden price increase.

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Here We Shrink Again – Fall 2026 – Part 1

This week we spotlight some of the various products that have been reduced in size — otherwise known as shrinkflation.

Hershey’s Kisses

Snack foods like candy keep getting smaller. Here, Hershey’s Kisses share size have gone from 10 ounces down to just 8.7. I guess everyone will just have to share less.

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Hershey's Kisses

Ziploc Freezer Bags

Boxes of plastic bags seem to always be shrinking whether they are sandwich bags or storage bags. Here, Ziploc gallon-size freezer bags lost 16 bags in every box.

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Ziploc freezer bags

Stop & Shop Instant Oatmeal

Just like the name brands, store brand products eventually downsize too. Here, boxes of instant oatmeal from Stop & Shop which used to have 10 packets now only have eight.

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Stop & Shop instant oatmeal

Laughing Cow Cheese

This popular cheese brand lost 10-percent of its contents. This is why customers are not laughing, but the cow will soon be chuckling all the way to the bank.

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Laughing Cow cheese

Dixie Ultra Paper Plates

Like most paper goods, paper plate packages now have fewer plates than before. Here, Dixie cut five plates from its package of 35.

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Dixie Ultra plates

Eight O’Clock Coffee

Remember when cans of coffee used to be a pound? Those days are long gone. Today, with coffee prices so high, manufacturers are making their largest bags smaller. Eight O’Clock dropped two ounces from their 40-ounce bags. Thanks to Richard G. for this submission.

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Eight O'Clock coffee bags

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Here We Skimp Again: Protein

When manufacturers want to save money, they can make the package smaller (shrinkflation) or reformulate the product using cheaper ingredients (skimpflation). This time, two companies chose the latter, and are cutting back on the amount of protein in their products.

Healthy Choice Protein Bowls

Sometime in the past several months Healthy Choice decided to come out with a new name and new recipe for the Power Bowls. They renamed them “Protein Bowls” and kept the size the same – 9.75 ounces. But ironically, they reduced the protein in each package by 15% from 26 grams down to 22 grams.

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Healthy Choice bowls comparison

Best we can tell the amount of chicken stayed the same because both products have the same amount of saturated fat. But it looks like they reduced the amount of pinto beans and added more leafy greens.

Healthy Choice ingredients

Kellogg’s Special K Protein

A while back Rob S. told us about Special K Protein cereal that reduced the amount of protein in their product from 15 grams per serving to just 10 — a one-third reduction. They removed wheat gluten from the reformulated product – a source of protein.

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Special K Protein

Kellogg's Special K ingredients

Apparently this was a very popular cereal with many consumers buying it by the case. And then they noticed the protein reduction. From the Kellogg’s website, their fury boiled over in dozens of one-star reviews.

  • I have been eating this cereal EVERY SINGLE MORNING FOR YEARS. So imagine my surprise when I recently stumbled upon this page to find the reviews pointing out that Kellogg’s dramatically lowered the amount of protein in it. I understand it’s not like they’re going to slap a banner across the box that says, “Now with much less protein!” But, come on, this was sneaky and underhanded. It has made me lose all faith in Kellogg’s.

  • I thought I was losing it!! Nice, thanks for ripping us off. My husband just bought me a huge box. It will be the last one. Boo! Hiss!

  • Shame on you for trying to trick customers with labeling. You know exactly what you have done with lowing the amount of protein in your product and charging same high price. You have successfully lost another customer!!

    • If you find a product that was reformulated or watered down with cheaper ingredients, please send the details to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org. Thanks.

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    Post Is Skimping on Cereal Servings Per Box Says Lawsuit

    A New York consumer is suing Post over allegedly misleading claims for one of its breakfast cereals. (See complaint.)

    The cereal in question, 19.5-ounce “family size” boxes of Post Fruity Pebbles, is supposed to have enough cereal for 15 one-cup bowls of cereal.

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    Fruity Pebbles label

    The consumer’s lawyers contend, however, that it has far less.

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    Fruity Pebbles allegations

    They hired an independent testing lab which determined that the cereal is denser than the label indicates, so you actually only get 11.3 one-cup serving per box, and thus the claimed amount of calories, sugar, and sodium is far higher per serving than represented.

    Fruity Pebbles difference

    So, the company is being sued for false and misleading statements and unjust enrichment under New York law. They are asking the judge for refunds and corrective advertising.