Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025  
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Are Tostitos and Other Chip Brands Really Reversing Shrinkflation?

A few weeks ago, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Madeleine Dean wrote to the CEOs of several corporations, including PepsiCo, accusing them of a pattern of profiteering off consumers by shrinking their products and charging the same or higher prices. We’ve covered various PepsiCo products including Tostitos downsizings over the years.

Then last week, breathless headlines announced that PepsiCo, which also makes Ruffles, Doritos, Lay’s and other brands, was reacting to these accusations of shrinkflation, and was now going to add 20% more chips to certain bags.

PepsiCo headlines

In the CNN story, the company said:

A PepsiCo spokesperson told CNN that Tostitos and Ruffles “bonus” bags will contain 20% more chips for the same price as standard bags in select locations. PepsiCo is also adding two additional small chip bags to its variety-pack option with 18 bags, the spokesperson said.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Tostitos Bonus PackConsumer World AI Mock-up

Don’t jump to conclusions that PepsiCo has seen the light, is caving into governmental pressure and consumer anger, and plans to upsize all their products. PepsiCo is simply coming out with some “bonus” bags on some products in some areas it appears. By definition, a “bonus pack” is a temporary promotion whereby the new package has some additional content compared to the regular size. They did not announce a general upsizing of their products.

So, enjoy the extra chips while they last.

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Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025  
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Verizon’s Trade In “Any Phone” Offer for a Free iPhone 16 Pro Questioned

Regular reader and commenter Joel V. recently caught a bit of nasty fine print by Verizon Wireless in a new TV commercial.


Most viewers would understand the ad to say that if you trade in any cellphone in any condition, Verizon will give you a free iPhone 16 Pro. It would be reasonable to assume that you have to buy a plan from the company because they are simply not just handing out free phones without any catches.

*MOUSE PRINT:

What our consumer caught was this tiny disclosure that was on the screen for about one-and-half seconds:

Verizon "any phone" fine print

Rather than the trade-in offer being good on “any” phone as the commercial explicitly states, it is only valid on these three brands: Apple, Google, and Samsung. What about people who own a phone from Motorola, LG, ZTE, OnePlus, or another brand? They’re out of luck apparently.

Additional terms of this offer are not orally stated in the commercial. But like a similar offer we dissected last December (see prior story), Verizon buries the full details in a three-second on-screen disclosure in tiny print toward the end of the commercial. Those terms include the requirement to purchase the iPhone 16 Pro for $999.99 (either pay upfront or be charged equal monthly payments) and get 1/36th of the purchase price back in a billing credit rebate each month for three years. You also have to sign up for Verizon’s most expensive plan, Unlimited Ultimate, for about $100 a month.

We asked the company why it advertised this trade-in offer as applying to “any” phone when in fact it only applies to three specific brands, why it doesn’t orally disclose other important requirements, and whether they are going to change the commercial. The company did not respond to multiple inquiries.

Consumer World has asked the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs to take on this case because of the deceptive nature of the commercial.

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Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025  
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Breyers to Pay $8.8-mil Over Misleading Natural Vanilla Labeling

Connoisseurs of vanilla ice cream generally prefer products made from real vanilla beans that are in the product evidenced by with those little black specs. And that is exactly what purchasers of Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream should expect to get.

You can see the little black specs depicted in the scoop of ice cream right on the front of their packages along with a picture of vanilla beans and their flowers.

Breyer's Vanilla

We wrote about Breyers Natural Vanilla back in 2016 concerning a separate issue when the ingredients statement explicitly listed “vanilla beans.” Now, that is no longer stated. (See original story.)

So recently some crafty consumer lawyers decided to have the product chemically analyzed to see if it had real or artificial vanilla or both.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Laboratory analysis, specifically by the Center for Advanced Food Technology at Rutgers University, demonstrated that Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream contains vanilla flavor from non-vanilla plant sources.

The testing of Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream did not detect p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillic acid or p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which means the Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream has, at most, a small amount of real vanilla…

So they sued Unilever in June (see complaint) and believe it or not, they already announced a tentative settlement.

Therefore, if you bought any size container of Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream from April 21, 2016 through August 14, 2024, you are entitled to get one dollar back for each one. If you have proofs of purchase, you can claim as many as you bought. Otherwise, the maximum claim is for eight cartons and you can get back $8. File a claim here.

The company is also being required to reformulate the product and not include vanilla flavor derived from non-vanilla plant sources.

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