In a major move, France is requiring stores to flag products on store shelves that have been subject to shrinkflation where the quantity decreases without a commensurate price drop. Until now, Brazil was believed to be the only country with a disclosure requirement.
In particular, according to a press release from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, the requirement covers:
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… from July 1, 2024 , for consumer products which have undergone a downward change in weight or volume leading to an increase in price per unit of measurement. specific obligation to inform consumers, relating to these developments. This information must be provided by distributors in large and medium-sized stores, in the immediate vicinity of the products concerned. It must appear in these physical stores during the two months following the marketing date of the industrial food and non-food products concerned (bottles of soda, packets of rice, laundry detergent or cans, for example), and this, whether national brand or private label products. Not affected by these provisions are prepackaged foodstuffs, the quantity of which may vary during preparation (deli section for example) and foodstuffs sold in bulk.
In other words, shoppers can expect to see signs on product displays whenever a product has been downsized but the price has stayed the same unit price or has been increaesed. The signs will have to be posted for two months. And some exemptions apply. (See NY Times story for additional background.)
What a great step forward for shoppers in France. Would something like this ever become law here on a national scale? Not a chance.
(Next week, we’ll resume our two-part series spotlighting products recently subject to shrinkflation.)
Some big brands are continuing to downsize their products despite some easing of the inflation rate… so shrinkflation continues in 2024. A half dozen products are below, and next week we’ll feature another six.
Oreo
People have been complaining about the dollop of creme inside regular Oreos seems to have gotten much smaller. We can’t tell if that is the case with the regular size packages of Oreos, but this product that has been 14.3 ounces for years, just went down 13.29. And similarly, the regular size package of Double Stuf Oreos also decreased.
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In addition, Oreo Thins, with less cream and a thinner cookie is reducing the number of cookies in each package by about four. The “family size” is now only 11.78 ounces down from 13.1. Thanks to Richard G. for spotting the change in Oreo Thins.
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Kellogg’s Froot Loops
Regular purchasers of Froot Loops might not have noticed a change in the net weight of their cereal because looking at old and new boxes on the supermarket shelf appear to be unchanged. Richard G. spotted the first change in January.
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They have gone from 10.1 oz. to 8.9 oz. first and then to 7.9 oz. What magic did Kellogg’s perform?
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The way Kellogg’s accomplishes the package looking the same on the shelf, is to simply narrow the box. Soon they may not be able to stand up anymore. The two shown above were found at a CVS in March 2024 and both were priced the same. We asked Kellogg’s about the way they made the packaging change and if the 7.9 oz. size is made just for places like drugstores. They did not respond to us.
Cottonelle Ultra Clean
Toilet paper is one of the product categories where we see ever-shrinking rolls. And Cottonelle is no exception. The new Cottonelle is supposedly “thicker and stronger” but look how much small the new package is. The old 321-sheet rolls are now only 284-sheets. Thanks to our ace shrinkflation detective, Richard G. for spotting this change.
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Puffs Tissues
These Puffs tissues lost eight tissues in every box, going from 56 down to 48. Thanks to Jack K. whose thoughts about Puffs led us to this example.
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Ritz Bits
Snack foods have always been prime targets for shrinkflation. Here, Ritz Bits went from 8.8 ounces per bag down to 7.5.
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If you find a product recently hit by shrinkflation, please take side-by-side pictures of the old and new, including the net weight or net count and email them to Edgar(at)ConsumerWorld.org . Thanks!
Shoppers may do a double take when checking out the Passover food display at some local supermarkets this year because the traditional five-pound bundles of some brands of matzo have been downsized to just four pounds.
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4-lb. and 5-lb. Manischewitz matzo bundles
Both Manischewitz and Yehuda, two leading brands of kosher foods, just introduced four-pound packages of this Passover staple in addition to their traditional bundle which has five one-pound packages and has been around for decades. (In the late ’50s or early ’60s, my father used to take me to the Horowitz-Margareten matzo factory in New York to buy five-pound packages of matzah.)
“Passover matzo has been one of the few products that has escaped shrinkflation until now,” explained Consumer World founder Edgar Dworsky. “On top of that, some stores are raising prices too, so it is a double whammy for shoppers.”
Kayco, which owns Manischewitz and distributes the Yehuda brand, explained that “consumer need” drove the decision to offer both four and five-pound bundles, with individual supermarkets deciding which they will carry. It also said that raw materials and packaging costs have gone up.
Stop & Shop, a leading supermarket chain in the Northeast, where the new four-pound packages were first spotted in Boston, said in an emailed statement in part:
Stop & Shop is now stocking both 4- and 5-pound matzos at our stores for our customers who celebrate Passover. What we heard from many of our customers is that they didn’t utilize all of the product in the 5-pound bundles, which comes at a higher price point, so we now offer both sizes to help our customers save money and reduce waste. … Like other retailers across the country, we have faced increased costs from our Kosher suppliers in 2024 so customers may see higher prices on some items.
In fact, the new four-pound Manischewitz and Yehuda matzo bundles are on sale at Stop & Shop in Boston for $5.99 this year, a dollar more than last year’s price for the five-pound size. That translates to a 50-percent price increase per pound. For decades, Stop & Shop and some other chains have sold five-pound packages for only $4.99 perhaps as a loss leader. The five-pound bundles are $6.99 this year at Stop & Shop, for example – a 40-percent price hike. (See update at the end of this story.)
4-lb and 5-lb matzo bundles at a Brookline, MA Stop & Shop
Not all major matzo manufacturers have followed Kayco’s lead. The makers of Streit’s and Aviv matzo say they have not downsized their brands. For its part, a manager at Aron Streit, Inc. said in reply to a customer’s question, “I am not sure what our competitors are thinking or doing, but we are still only selling five-pound bundles and definitely are not changing that anytime soon.”
The manufacturer of Aviv matzo, a popular Israeli brand sold in the United States, speculated that perhaps Kayco was jumping on the shrinkflation bandwagon.
Not all supermarket chains have moved away from the traditional size and price for Passover matzo. Star Market and Shaw’s in New England and Jewel-Osco in Chicago, divisions of Albertsons Companies, for example, still offer five-pound packages of Manischewitz, Yehuda, and Streit’s matzo for $4.99 on sale. And they are even offering an additional $1-off digital coupon on Streit’s.
5-lb matzo bundles for $4.99 at Star Market in Boston
A spot-check of Passover product sale prices this year at Stop & Shop in New Jersey compared to their sale prices last year reveals some significant price increases.
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Shrinkflation has hit other Passover products in recent years. Yehuda matzo farfel went from a nine-ounce canister to an eight-ounce box. And Goodman’s macaroons, which were traditionally sold in 10-oz. cans, were downsized to nine ounces last year and came packaged in resealable bags.
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April 5 UPDATE
Stop & Shop in Monroe Township, New Jersey, in their April 5 – 11 circular, advertised some of the key items in our comparison at a lower sale price:
Updated Passover prices
And Stop & Shop stores in the Boston area also lowered some prices as of April 5. For example, four and five-pound bundles of matzo as pictured above are one dollar less.
If you spot a newly downsized product, please send details and pictures to: Edgar(at)MousePrint.org .
4-lb. and 5-lb. Manischewitz matzo bundles
4-lb and 5-lb matzo bundles at a Brookline, MA Stop & Shop
5-lb matzo bundles for $4.99 at Star Market in Boston
