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More Groceries Hit by “Skimpflation” – Part 2

We continue reporting on products this week that have been reformulated in some way, usually with less of the expensive components and often by substituting cheaper ingredients (“skimpflation”).

Scott 1000-Sheet Toilet Paper

Virtually every brand of toilet paper has been downsized over the years, but Scott still has 1000 sheets. Of course, they reduced the size of each sheet multiple times as we have reported, but the current size has remained the same since 2010. So besides raising the price, Kimberly-Clark has also tinkered with the paper itself. According to purchasers, it is getting thinner and rougher. (See recent shoppers’ reviews.)

The sheets are so thin they’re transparent. I don’t even think they are a full ply.

Won’t be buying again … Would rather use a leaf then this crap again. Couldn’t be more disappointed!!!

It’s thin like the cheap paper in public restrooms and you have to use twice as much. I will never buy again.

If you enjoy picking out little globs of paper from your body parts because it is so thin it disintegrates from getting wet with the slightest friction – this is the toilet paper for you!

To try to quantify the change, we compared the weight of a four-pack of Scott from around 2006 to today’s version, while accounting for the sheets size change. Though not perfect, this method demonstrates how much less paper fiber or pulp goes into today’s sheets. And the difference is dramatic.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Scott Weight Comparison

The current version has about 20-percent less paper by weight than the 2006 version. So if purchasers are perceiving it has gotten thinner, it is not their imagination. This a perfect example of a company reformulating the product to cut costs — the essence of skimpflation.

We don’t know if Kimberly-Clark made small changes over time or all at once. The company did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

Hungry Man Double Chicken Bowls

An eagle-eyed shopper named Random Keith found that this TV dinner had changed. Hungry Man Double Chicken Bowls fried chicken used to pack 39 grams of protein. Now it has 33 grams — 15% less protein — but it still comes in a 15-ounce box. This could suggest a reduction in the chicken or cheese content — the two most dominant proteins.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Hungry Man Double Chicken Bowl

But, a check of the ingredients statement and nutrition label offers a clue to their recipe sleight-of-hand. The new version is missing “textured soy protein concentrate” which was part of the breading. Does that solely account for the reduction in protein? We asked Conagra, the maker of Hungry Man, what had actually changed, but didn’t get an answer.

If you spot a product that has been reformulated with cheaper ingredients, please send a sharp before and after picture of the primary labels and the ingredients statements to Edgar (at symbol) ConsumerWorld.org . Thanks.

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More Groceries Hit By “Skimpflation” — Part 1

When manufacturers face higher costs that they no longer want to absorb, they are faced with three choices: raise the price, shrink the product, or reformulate it by using cheaper ingredients or less of the expensive ingredient.

We saw this last option recently with Folgers ground coffee when its maker fluffed up the grounds and claimed to get the same number of cups in their large canister despite it holding almost half a pound less coffee.

Now, over the next two weeks we’ll show you more examples of products that have been reformulated, or put another way, have been subject to “skimpflation” — shrinkflation’s evil cousin.

Conagra’s Attempt at Skimpflation Backfires

Smart Balance Spread

Smart Balance has long been a high-priced but superior tasting spread in part because of its relatively high fat content – 64-percent. Recently they inconspicuously changed that and now it is only 39-percent oil — an almost 40-percent reduction.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Smart Balance Spread

Clearly this was a cost-cutting move by Conagra Brands because water is now the primary ingredient. Even if they didn’t read the label, purchasers are tasting the difference and complaining bitterly about the new water-logged product. About 90% of the 800+ reviews on the Smart Balance website give the product one star.

“Horrible horrible horrible!!!! You ruined a perfectly great product that we have used for years and years!!!! And without any notice. Now we’re out of $8…”

“If I wanted to spread water on my toast I would of purchased a cheap margarine…”

“You could have at least printed on the packaging that it was a new formula.”

“Your reformulation of your Smart Balance spreads is a great example of dishonesty in the marketplace. You are adding water to these mixes to lower the manufacturing cost…”

“I’d throw it out if it wasn’t so expensive, but in the meantime maybe I can spread it on our dog’s biscuits….although not sure he would even eat it.”

Despite multiple requests, Conagra did not answer our questions about the product change. However, customer service representatives for the company have begun telling this to their customers:

Smart Balance comments

Wow, they are actually listening to customers and are going to bring back the original recipe spread. But is it possible that this multi-billion dollar company did not do a product test with consumers before launching the watered-down version and just waited to see if people would notice and complain?

So while the watery reformulated version is still on store shelves, we decided to help Conagra better communicate the changes in the product by creating a revised label for it that is just a tiny bit more straightforward.

Dumb Balance

Next week, we’ll have two more examples of skimpflation. If you spot a product that has been reformulated with cheaper ingredients, please send clear pictures of the old and new versions along with shots of the ingredients statements to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.

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Beware Tricky Cereal Box Size Names

More and more companies are adding size names to breakfast cereal boxes, cookies, and chips. “Large Size,” “Party Size,” “Family Size,” “Giant Size,” and even “Mega Size” are now adorning product packages.

In a sense, this is a very clever ploy by manufacturers to teach shoppers to buy by size name rather than by net weight. So if you become habituated to buying “Family Size” Cheerios, that is what you will likely look for on the package the next time you shop. Of course, for manufacturers that shrink their products, if you only buy by size name you won’t notice content changes as readily.

On top of a move to using size names, some cereal makers have been slapping the name “Family Size” on ever smaller boxes to accommodate the introduction of “Giant Size” and even “Mega Size” products.

Post Honey Bunches of Sizes

Post joins other brands in putting size names on cereal boxes. The trouble is one brand’s “family size” could be another brand’s “giant size.” There is no uniformity. And worse, some makers are shuffling the names around like actual size didn’t matter any more.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Honey Bunches of Oats history

It appears that Post is downsizing their size names — moving them down a notch from a larger box to a smaller box. In this case, based on “best by” dates on these packages, Post’s “Family Size” for Honey Bunches of Oats was first 23 ounces. Then, in preparation for a name change, it removed those words from the package. Then a month later it moved the “Family Size” name to their 18-ounce box — five ounces less. All this was in preparation for Post renaming the old 23-ounce “Large Size” to the new 23-oz. “Giant Size.”

While the new, smaller “Family Size” box got significantly cheaper at Target in the above example, it was slightly more expensive on a per-ounce basis. And at a Stop & Shop in Massachusetts, the five-ounce smaller box was only a dime cheaper.

Honey Bunches at Stop & Shop

Post did not respond to multiple requests for comment about their size changes.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Size Shift

Another example of a company renaming its boxes and putting big size names on some smaller boxes is Kellogg’s. Here, just like the example above, the “Family Size” name which used to adorn the 24-ounce box of their Corn Flakes, has been relegated to the 18-ounce one. And the old “Family Size” box has been renamed “Giant Size.”

*MOUSE PRINT:

Kellogg's Corn Flakes

Kellogg’s did not respond to multiple requests for comment about their size changes, including to a challenge we made to their president’s recent comments when he said, “If we make it smaller, we make it cheaper.” In particular we asked if the cost per ounce remained the same in the new, smaller package. Of course it couldn’t because of the significant costs in redesigning the packages, etc.

Conditioning shoppers to buy products by the size name rather than by the size number (the actual net weight) is a scheme by manufacturers to desensitize us to the actual amount of contents in the package. Don’t fall for it. Actual size matters.

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