Food/Groceries

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Here We Shrink Again – Early Spring 2023

Since the New York Times story about shrinkflation, we have gotten many more tips than usual about products downsizing. So, here is another round of them.

Green Giant Frozen Vegetables

Mark H. reported to us that in late summer he noticed various varieties of Green Giant frozen vegetables had downsized from 10 ounces to only eight, yet they still claimed two (skimpy) servings. Sure enough, most of their varieties are now only eight ounces.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Green Giant veggies

Duke’s Mayonnaise

Historically, mayonnaise came in quart-size jars, but in 2006, Hellmann’s introduced the 30-ounce size to replace that. And almost everyone else followed suit sooner or later. Not Duke’s. It refused to downsize and trumpeted that fact on their label noting that it was still 32 ounces. But Duke’s acknowledged on their website that last September that jar was now 30 ounces. Of course, the new jars are not labeled “now 30 ounces.” Thanks to Whit W., Richard G., and Steve E. for submitting this change.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Duke's mayo

Goodman’s Macaroons

Just in time for Passover 2023, the traditional 10-ounce can of Goodman’s macaroons has morphed into a nine-ounce bag. A customer service rep for the company confirmed the product has been reduced by 10-percent. Other brands still come in the familiar 10-ounce size but are moving to bags also.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Goodman's macaroons

Pepperidge Farm Cookies

Several varieties of Pepperidge Farm cookies have been reduced in size repeatedly over the years. Thanks to Joan D. and James M. for raising this issue. Here is one such change where Milano cookies went from 6.25 ounces to just six.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Pepperidge Farm Milano

Dove Body Wash

Unilever seems to be nickel and diming customers with repeated reductions in the size of their Dove body wash. In this case, it has gone from 24 ounces to 22 ounces to now just 20 ounces. And reader Joyce M. lamented over a year ago, that so much lotion sticks to the inside of the 22-ounce Dove container, that she cut one open and has gotten two extra weeks of use just from the residual lotion.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Dove Body Wash

Werther’s Original Hard Caramels

Candy is one of the categories of products often subject to shrinkflation. Darnell K. wrote to us about Werther’s hard candy resenting their product shrinkage and saying the practice is just plain shady. Here, their large size went from 34 ounces down to 30 ounces. It is unclear when the change occurred but likely it was a while ago.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Werther caramel

If you spot a product that has been recently downsized, please take a sharp picture of the old product and new product side-by-side (old on the left) with the net weight or net count showing. You can email it to Edgar (at symbol) ConsumerWorld.org . Thanks!

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Those Devilish Keebler Elves Are at It Again

Oh those devilish Keebler elves apparently tired of downsizing their cookie packages have developed a new bad habit. According to Steven R., they have learned to talk out of both sides of their mouth.

Our consumer sent us photographs of a package of Keebler Country Style Oatmeal with Raisins, which clearly says on the front of the package in the bottom left hand corner that the product contains “no high fructose corn syrup.”

Keebler Oatmeal cookies

However, on the back of the bag, the ingredients statement tells a different story.

*Mouse Print:

Keebler oatmeal cookies ingredients

We asked the company about the sweetener discrepancy. (Clearly they are not paying attention to the front label having left out the word “cookies.”)

A spokesperson replied with this statement:

Keebler Country Oatmeal Cookies has a printing error on the front of the package. The product does contain high fructose corn syrup which is included in the list of ingredients on the back of the package. We regret any confusion.

The company did not explain how this happened or for how long the misrepresentation was there.

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This Turkey Is Bulked-Up With Liquid

Prestage Turkey Breast We received a complaint from a consumer, Joan D., who had purchased a frozen turkey breast and says she got much less than she bargained for.

Upon opening the package, which weighed 6.28 pounds, she found three large gravy packets tucked in the breast cavity that weighed-one-and-one-quarter pounds. Her family commented how “puny” the cooked turkey looked — barely enough to serve everyone — weighing in at about four-and-half pounds.

cooked turkey

There was a large densely worded disclosure on the package that forewarned about what was inside the wrapper:

*MOUSE PRINT:

turkey label

Our consumer didn’t notice that “gravy packets” were included, nor that the turkey had almost 20-percent added basting broth injected into the breast.

We checked with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) about labeling regulations and the limits on added fluids to turkey products like this.

Believe it or not, there is no maximum amount of “solution” that can be injected into these birdies (see regulation) to bulk-up the weight as long as the percentage is stated in numerals on the package in a clear disclosure suggested to be in upper and lower case lettering.

There is also no requirement to list the weight of the gravy packets separately. According to an FSIS spokesperson:

For example, if the package includes a 6-pound turkey breast with added solution and 4 ounces of gravy mix in a separate packet, then the minimum total net weight required on the label is , “NET WT. 6 LB 4 OZ;” however, the label may also include the weight of the individual components as voluntary information, for example, “NET WT. 6 LB 4 OZ (turkey with up to 10% solution 6 LB, gravy packet 4 OZ)”… [Emphasis added]

In this case, where the three packets add so much weight to the product, we can certainly understand why that information if provided in advance might better inform shoppers as to what they were really getting for their money.

We asked the company how it defended its practice of including so many heavy gravy packets without making a clear disclosure of their weight on the package, and whether they would consider listing the weight of the various components separately. We also inquired as to why they didn’t follow the law and state the amount of solution as “19%” using numerals.

They responded:

We offer different options to our various retailers when it comes to our turkey breasts so that consumers may have choices to pick one of their own preference.

Some of those options include gravy packets – a single packet or multiple packets. The packaging states if the product is a turkey breast, a turkey breast with a gravy packet, or a turkey breast with gravy packets.

We operate under USDA inspection and everything we produce is approved by FSIS officials.

So what do you think? Should purchasers of this product feel hoodwinked about the presence of so many gravy packets and the amount of broth injected into the turkey breast?