Food/Groceries

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Holy Mackerel, StarKist Downsizes Tuna

Something is fishy at StarKist. In a move that will likely ripple through the entire tuna industry, the company has just downsized their tuna cans.

*MOUSE PRINT:

A customer service representative for StarKist explained that tuna prices have reached an all-time high, and coupled with the increased cost of transportation and other ingredients, they had to make a change. Instead of increasing the price, she said, they decreased the can size.

Putting an environmental spin on the downsizing, the company said it will save two million gallons of water a year, while only taking out two teaspoons of tuna from each can.

Tuna has a long history of being downsized. Once upon a time, tuna came in 7 ounce cans (at least solid white did). Then, cans were downsized to 6.5 oz., then 6-1/8 oz., and finally to 6 oz. maybe a decade ago. All the while, what had originally consisted of solid pieces of chunk light tuna fish, became a mush of too little fish and too much ocean.

[Note to readers: Because we are seeing more and more of these sneaky, backdoor price increases, Mouse Print* will only bring you news like this when a major product category is downsized.]

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iPhone and Tide: Twice the Power for Half the Amount?

iphone Leave it to marketers to create the tantalizing proposition of getting more for less when you buy their product.

Both the new Apple iPhone and Tide 2X are making similar claims.

For the iPhone, Apple says you get twice the speed for half the price. In fact, the first generation iPhone sold for $399, while the just released 3G version sells for $199. So far, so true.

One catch is that you have to sign a two year contract. But the sneakier one is this:

*MOUSE PRINT: The data plan for the new iPhone is $30 a month, compared to $20 a month for the old one. Over a 24 month period, you will be paying an additional $240 to AT&T for the phone, which, in essence makes it 10% more expensive than its predecessor — not half the price.

Now for Tide 2X. Procter & Gamble is turning back the clock to the 70s when liquid laundry detergents were concentrated. You only had to use 1/4 of a cup.  The “new” detergent in essence has half the water of the old one, so the new 50 ounce jug will do the same number of loads as the old 100 ounce one.

But in TV and print advertising, they say the new detergent is more powerful:

Tide 2x

“Twice the stain fighting power in every drop” is the claim, and that might make you think it is stronger and better than competitors.

*MOUSE PRINT: The disclaimer indicates the comparison is to their non-concentrated former product. Fine. So while it’s literally true that every drop of new Tide has twice the power of the old one, since you only use half the amount , you are not likely to see dramatically cleaner laundry because the product is still diluted by a machine full of water. (Where “x” is the strength of the product, one-half times 2x still just equals x.)  

Of course, for treating stains directly from the bottle, there may be an advantage. 

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Snap, Crackle, Poof: Kellogg’s Downsizes

Joining the ranks of products being downsized is an array of Kellogg’s cereals, including Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Krispies, and others.

Apple Jacks

*MOUSE PRINT: Though the boxes look identical head-on, the new box of Apple Jacks has two cups less of cereal.

How did they do it? The new boxes are narrower:

Apple Jacks side

The new version will also be 10 calories slimmer to your waist line. High fructose corn syrup was replaced with more apple juice concentrate (reducing sugar), and salt was also decreased.

Both boxes cost $3.49 during the week of July 6. That works out to 31.7 cents an ounce for the old larger box, and 40.1 cents an ounce for the new smaller one. That is a 26.4% price increase. Had the product been kept the same size, its new retail price would have climbed to $4.41.

Why did Kellogg’s downsize?  The company was refreshingly candid in their response:

“This package change is considered a price increase, in that box size is smaller. The reason for the price increase is the rising costs of ingredients and transportation. “

Consumers would clearly notice a price increase of almost a dollar, but the subtle change in packaging may go unnoticed. And even if shoppers did realize they were getting 2.3 ounces less in the box, they would not likely equate that with a nearly one dollar price hike.