It’s Not All In Your Head
If you’ve been to the grocery store recently, you’ve probably noticed the eye-watering prices for products you grew up eating. How did eggs that were only $2.06 a few years ago get to $4.63? If you’ve also noticed products tasting cheaper and getting smaller alongside these increases, then you’ve got a good eye. Most products have quietly shrunk their quantities while raising the price, and here are 20 examples that do just that.
1. Lay’s Potato Chips
Owned by PepsiCo, Lay’s has been a classic salted potato chip brand that many turn to for movie nights and game days alike. Most people grow up eating it as a treat or in their school lunches, but if you’ve noticed the bags getting thinner and thinner, it’s not your imagination. Turns out they did shrink to 12 oz per bag, with most of it made up of air.
2. Hershey Bars
The Hershey Company has been a long-standing producer of chocolate, but if something tastes off, it’s the cheap ingredients they’ve shifted to. They have also made the bars thinner while keeping the rest of the packaging, size, and shape the same to trick consumers into thinking nothing has changed. But in reality, you’re paying more for less.
3. Haagen-Dazs Pints
There are many reasons to avoid Nestlé, the parent company of Haagen-Dazs. However, if you’ve noticed the pints getting tinier while the price continues to increase, it’s because it’s not even a pint anymore. The weight has shifted from 16 oz to 14 oz, making these treats less than ideal.
4. Oreos
Oreo was a little smarter about hiding its shrinkage, keeping the package look and size completely the same. Instead, they simply put fewer cookies per row, and no one was the wiser.
Hybrid Storytellers on Unsplash
5. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
Kellogg’s is another company with unethical practices to avoid, but in terms of shrinkflation, the family-size boxes have noticeably shifted from 19 oz to 17 oz. Despite this change in weight, the price has only increased!
6. Nature’s Valley Granola Bars
Nature Valley followed Oreo’s example and kept the box completely the same. However, instead of having six bars in a box, now they pack in five. Of course, they expect you to pay the same price or more for that nifty little upgrade.
7. Jif’s Peanut Butter Bars
Jif is a classic peanut butter brand many turn to for their breakfast, baking, and sandwich needs. While not as greedy as other companies, Jif has still secretly reduced its size by 0.5 oz. However, this is probably only the beginning of future incremental reductions.
8. Toblerone Bars
Toblerone has changed significantly since its glory days. The chocolate isn’t even made in Switzerland anymore! This once-ideal gift souvenir has now reduced the gaps between peaks to create a tighter and smaller bar, reducing the overall weight while upping the prices.
9. Red Bull
If the Red Bull cans don’t feel quite the same in your hand anymore, it’s because they aren’t. This energy drink has experienced serious shrinkage, with the company subtly creating thinner and thinner cans. Now the drink only holds 11.3 oz while maintaining the usual price.
10. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Reese’s, a brand owned by the Hershey Company, also took a sneakier approach. Like most Hershey products, the chocolate has been thinned while the packaging has been kept the same. That means you’re paying the same amount of money for smaller cups in each box.
11. Land O’Lakes Butter
Many people rely on these dairy butter sticks for their cooking and baking needs, but it’s hard to ignore the constant thinning of the product. Not only are the sticks thinner, but the overall weight of the product has been reduced. Where did all that butter go?
12. Kraft Singles
Owned by Kraft Heinz, single-processed cheese slices are an unhealthy but adored lunchtime staple. The perfect topper on any sandwich or burger, it might not surprise you to hear there are now fewer slices in every pack.
13. Quaker Oats
For many people, oatmeal is a healthy breakfast alternative packed with all the daily nutrition they will need. However, budgeting for breakfast has become harder in recent years, and Quaker has contributed to that. If you’ve noticed, the packages used to say 10 servings, but now they say 8.
14. Campbell’s Soups
This is another case of thinner cans and vanishing soups. Once sitting at 12 oz, this soup was an affordable choice for easy mealtime or as a cooking base. However, now, the same-priced cans weigh only 10.75 oz.
15. DiGiorno Frozen Pizza
Nestlé makes another appearance, and this time as the owner of DiGiorno’s Frozen Pizza. Keeping things quiet and sneaky, they continue to use the same large boxes while slowly shrinking the pizza within. That way, they can take your money and leave you disappointed.
16. Hostess Cupcakes
The Hostess brand is known for its delectable treats, but with recent recipe changes and waning quality, it was only a matter of time before shrinkflation took hold. The price of a pack of 10 cupcakes is the same as the price of 12 not long ago.
17. Cheerios
Cheerios are another breakfast staple, this time owned by General Mills. However, you might want to take another look at those family sizes, as they have shrunk significantly. The boxes were once 21 oz, but now they cost the same or more for only 18 oz.
18. Eggo Waffles
"Leggo my Eggo” was a fun catchphrase of the youth, but now it’s high time to let this company go. Another product of Kellogg’s, they have sneakily kept the packaging the same while only putting in 8 waffles instead of the usual 10.
19. Green Giant Frozen Vegetables
Green Giant’s frozen vegetable bags were a practical and valuable way to keep veggies in bulk. However, the bags have experienced significant shrinking, with the serving size and weight being reduced over the years.
20. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Another product of Kraft Heinz, this beloved box of macaroni and cheese has shrunk from 7.25 oz to 6.5 oz. What makes it worse is that you’d never be able to tell by the consistently looking box. These shady practices are simply unacceptable and continuing to pay billion-dollar companies to trick you and sneakily reduce value is no way to live.
KEEP ON READING
The 5 Most Consumed Foods in the Entire World
