Consumer Association sounds the alarm: products are shrinking again!
Your shopping cart may look fuller, but you’re getting less and less for your money. Manufacturers keep reducing the contents of their products while prices stay the same or, worse, rise. The Consumer Association is sounding the alarm once again: shrinkflation is everywhere and we’re being ripped off on a massive scale. From laundry detergent to chocolate milk and from frikandellen to cake—everything is getting smaller except the bill. And this isn’t happening only in supermarkets, but in the hospitality industry too.
Less product, same price (or more expensive!)
A few painful examples stood out in the Consumer Association’s latest spot check. A box of Ariel laundry capsules, for example, has shrunk from 14 to 10 capsules in just a few years, without the price taking a nosedive. Ambi Pur air freshener went from 300 to 185 millilitres, while the price actually increased. And Nesquik? It looks like a bargain: first 3.39 euros per pack, now 2.99 euros. But watch out: whereas you used to get 500 grams, there are now only 300 grams inside. Do the math: you’re paying almost 50% more for your cup of chocolate milk.
Manufacturers’ excuses
Manufacturers naturally have a good story ready. Nesquik claims that smaller packages are better for shelf life. Other brands point to rising raw material prices or shift the blame onto supermarkets, which set the prices. But the Consumer Association is clear: “It really is the manufacturers who are shrinking their products.”
Nothing new
This trick is nothing new. We previously wrote about how you’re being seriously ripped off in the supermarket. Bags of crisps are getting thinner, cakes smaller, and even frikandellen have shrunk. The hospitality industry is joining in too: smaller plates, fewer chips or less salad with your order. But you still pay full price. So, in the meantime: keep a close eye on things in the supermarket, because before you know it, you’ll be buying a bag of crisps with nothing left but the smell.
Read also:
- Recipe: Chioggia beet carpaccio with herb oil and crispy fried garlic
- How to make the popular pulpo carpaccio from restaurant Sjefietshe
- Come on! Stop calling everything ‘carpaccio’
Source: Nu.nl
