Major brands, including Heinz, reject 'shrinkflation'

https://apple.news/A7swTHDHmSYSZlPVa5Z3Rmg

Heinz says reducing the number of beans in a tin doesn't count

Major brands have denied so-called "shrinkflation", despite selling smaller quantities of a product for similar prices, saying there was no need for greater transparency as reductions are put online and shoppers are "savvy".

A boss at Kraft Heinz told the MPs at the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee that reducing the percentage of beans in a tin, without bringing down the price, was not shrinkflation.

Reply 1

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

Their argument for the baked beans is that by reducing the bean content, they taste better, (presumably as there is more sauce per bean). Which seems like a sketchy way to deny any product with more that one ingredient can ever be subject to shrinkflation.

I don't buy the "consumers are savvy and vote with their feet" line. People don't read the back of a tin of beans to check the %'s haven't changed. Nor do they make a list of previous gram weights to see if Cadbury's have shaved another couple of mm off the back of a Dairy Milk.

If the size changes, I think manufacturers should have to label the product as "x grams / % smaller" for a couple of months. Then we could see whether there was any impact.

Reply 2

Szori

buy store brand stuff just as good most the time

Reply 3

Barbu

We have supermarkets here in France that tell us when a brand has shrunk their product and kept the previous price. I believe it's Carrefour, but I'm pretty sure others have followed suit.

We usually go for store brand products now like Marque Repère. We even go for close-to sell by date foods which have up to 60% off.

Reply 4

random_matt

The 80's and 90's were great and contemporary times are terrible. Youngsters are clueless about what was real value for money these days. I was looking at a modern toffee crisp the other day and wondered what the hell happened to the flavour, size and price.