4 ways your groceries are shrinking (CBC News)

[inanna]

Marketplace investigates how manufacturers reduce how much you get

Think your grocery bags are lighter than they used to be? You’re not the only one.

Many Canadians are feeling the effects of rising food prices. And even if your grocery bill has not gone up, your money may not be going as far as it used to.

CBC’s Marketplace found dozens of examples of products that got smaller, often in ways that are not obvious or are difficult for consumers to detect. While some packages contain less, the price often stays the same.

<snip>

If you buy a box of Red Rose tea, for example, you’ll get the same number of bags -- and cups of tea. But Marketplace found the 72-bag box got 18 grams lighter earlier this year, meaning there’s less tea in every bag.

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/4-ways-your-groceries-are-shrinking-1.3001602?cmp=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds

There's a video at link. And yeah, I'm definitely noticing this - especially with the newer (smaller) coffee can sizes that are offered at the same cost of the older (larger) cans.

[hobbit709]

1. Very little of what groceries I buy are pre-packaged.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

2. Yep, I've noticed it with coffee and tuna

Tuna used to be 6.5 oz...now I think it's 5 something.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

13. yep... made some tuna salad today...

took an extra can...

sP

[laundry_queen]

3. I watched this last night

and while most of it I already knew, the tea thing was new to me. WTF?

I've noticed TP especially. It has become so narrow, that on my mom's 'retro' TP holders from the early 80's you can nearly fit 2 rolls side by side. Here's a picture I took of the difference between Charmin rolls over several months and different stores:

[url=http://postimage.org/][img][/img][/url]
[url=http://postimage.org/]

And also, while they talk about corporations creating a 'new look' for their product and shrinking the size hoping no one will notice, sometimes there is even more deliberate deception...some peanut butter or jam jars actually have a HUGE indentation in the bottom of the package. So the package looks exactly the same on the outside as it always has, but the amount has changed. You probably don't notice it though, because who looks at the grams/oz of product EVERY SINGLE TIME they buy it? So if you pick up the same size jar and it seems nothing has changed, you wouldn't notice it right away. But there is a huge indentation in the bottom taking up space making it seem like you get the same amount - but you don't. I wish the program would've touched on that.

Another thing that irritated me SO much was how they get the food corps' side of the story. "We have to, with costs going up those costs have to be passed along!" Except they don't mention that they also need ever increasing profit percents so that their shareholders stay happy making ever increasing amounts of money. It's too bad their shareholders are so greedy they can't give up a few grams per package so people who don't make millions like they do aren't dealing with less and less food for their dollar.

[inanna]

4. Yes, the yogurt cups also have

the indents in the bottom as well. Really notice that since I'm addicted to the stuff.

Very deceptive, you are right.

[niyad]

21. remember when yoghurt cups were 8 oz? now, 6 or 4.

[Mariana]

10. "We have to, with costs going up...etc."

Bullshit. They may have to raise prices, or reduce package size to keep the same price. They don't ever have to use deceptive packaging to try to fool people into thinking they're getting as much as they were before. They've been doing that for a long, long time.

In addition to the huge indentations on the bottom of bottles and jars, I've seen where they have the indentations along the side, where it's hidden under the label - often in addition to a large indent on the bottom.

[laundry_queen]

11. Pretty much everything that person said was bullshit

She was a marketing/PR person. I have a business degree, I know exactly what she was doing.

You are right, they are deliberately deceiving consumers. Absolutely unethical and immoral. It's pretty telling the food corps wouldn't come on camera to answer questions.

[Gormy Cuss]

34. TP rolls aren't just getting more narrow.Some brands have retooled the roll to be bigger in diameter

Last edited Sun Mar 22, 2015, 04:01 PM - Edit history (1)

It's annoying to have to change the roll so frequently.

[eppur_se_muova]

35. The old cardboard tube drops right inside the new one, with lots of room to spare.

And I'm sure the same was true of the previous change a couple of years ago. We've been buying the store brand of TP, for a few years, and it seems like it's mostly air now. Turns to confetti on contact.

[WillowTree]

5. If you've not noticed these things, you're not really paying attention.

They've been pulling this stuff for years & years. When was the last time you saw an actual half gallon of ice cream?

[awoke_in_2003]

7. I only eat Ben and Jerry's

and, thankfully, they don't sell half gallon sizes . I don't buy ice cream often, but when I do I eat it until it's gone. A half gallon of B&J is dangerous

[stopwastingmymoney]

32. I did notice recently

That a 'pint' of Haagen Dazs is now 14oz. I was after a particular flavor (coffee, it was good) but I think I'll stick with BnJ in the future.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. I just thought my hands were getting bigger.

[WillowTree]

12. LMAO!!!

[CatWoman]

9. yup

[awoke_in_2003]

6. Canned goods used to be 16 oz...

now they are 14. Bacon used to be sold by the pound, now 12 oz packages are common. The prices did not go down, however.

[Vinca]

14. And recipes haven't changed so you have to monkey around with the ingredients.

It's very annoying when you need 16 oz. and you can only buy a 15 oz. can.

[AwakeAtLast]

15. Boxed cake mixes are shrinking, too

Which makes some of my Grandma's old recipes useless

[gollygee]

17. That's awkward

A cake mix is supposed to fill cake pans right.

[starroute]

23. It also means you can't measure portions out as you're accustomed

When my kids were little, we'd figure 8 oz of spaghetti for the family -- which meant two dinners worth in one 16 oz box. When the boxes shrink, either you short-change your kids, or you have to use partial boxes to fill out the same amount. Major nuisance.

[pangaia]

27. The recipes of products sure has changed, though.

Ever try the current Lea and Perrins Worchestershire Sauce?

It is NOT what it was yeas and years ago.

[seabeyond]

16. ding dongs. i havent had years, or decades. bought some the other day, all excited, more than half

smaller than the past.

now, this one is really ok with me, cause just a little choc goes a long way. but wow.... incredibly small.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. They stopped selling 5lb bags of sugar

They now have either 4 lb bags or 10 lb bags here. The apparent "excuse" was that rather than raise the price, they kept the price the same but gave you less.

[Dont call me Shirley]

19. At Walmart, they are selling the larger containers at a higher price per ounce instead of

the higher price per ounce on the smaller container. You think you are getting the same old cost savings buying in bulk, but the larger container is now more expensive per ounce. Trickery, indeed.

[fizzgig]

20. sometimes the store uses price per pound

and price per ounces for a different brands and sizes of the same product. i've found they do it a lot with cheese. makes me nuts.

[Dont call me Shirley]

25. A scientific calculator is needed while shopping to get the answers to the mathematical gymnastics

Walmart uses to fool the customers about actual cost of the products.

[raccoon]

28. I've noticed that in other grocery stores too. nt

[rpannier]

22. Potato Chips have been the most obvious

I noticed that when I bought bags in the 90's
Same sized bag, but more air

[SoapBox]

24. We've been noticing this for the last few years...it has become so

obvious.

Guess they are out to starve us to death and/or kill us with GMO's and pesticides.

[Android3.14]

26. Not surprised

What else should the food company do?
At least the package information is usually labeled correctly.
Because the Canadian dollar is weak compared to the US dollar, it simply doesn;t go as far as it used too. Same thing happened here a couple of years ago.
I'd at least like to see the corporations acknowledge the practice is going on through a commercial in which the food company simply explains what is happening.

[Gormy Cuss]

33. It happens in the US even now.

Shrinkage happens every year on a subset of products.

[PatrickforO]

30. This is because capitalism resembles nothing so much as a giant tapeworm.

Their profits are eating up our food!

[riderinthestorm]

31. I hate it when the box size stays the same but its half empty nt