2,500 products have shrunk in last 5 years
And don’t believe firms’ excuses – Brexit’s NOT to blame
‘Began long before EU referendum’
THE shocking scale of ‘shrinkflation’ has been revealed – with 2,529 products having fallen in size in just five years.
Everything from toilet rolls, to Mars Bars and the amount of tea in a tea bag has shrunk since 2012.
In most cases, there was no corresponding fall in the product’s prices, and Brexit cannot be blamed as the decline in weight began five years ago.
Manufacturers and supermarkets never announce a cut in pack sizes. As a result, only a tiny fraction of the products hit by shrinkflation are identified and shoppers simply get less for their money.
Now the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the true number of shrinking products is more than 2,500 – making clear that grocery giants are routinely using the tactic to sting shoppers. Producers have come up with a range of excuses to justify cuts in pack sizes.
Industry leaders have suggested Brexit and the resulting fall in the pound is the cause, but this is rejected by the ONS. ‘Our analysis doesn’t show a noticeable change following the referendum that would point towards a Brexit effect,’ it said.
‘Furthermore, others – including Which? – had been observing these shrinking pack sizes long before the EU referendum, and several manufacturers have denied that this is a major factor.’
Confectionery manufacturers have blamed increases in costs, particularly raw materials such as cocoa and sugar. But the latest ONS data shows that both ingredients are now cheaper than they were five years ago. In March, Mars shrank the pack size of favourites including Maltesers, M&Ms and Minstrels by up to 15 per cent.
At the time, it said: ‘ We have been absorbing rising raw material and operational costs for some time, but the growing pressures mean that we can’t keep things as they are. Reducing the size of our products is not a decision that we take easily.’
But the ONS study points out that while the wholesale cost of sugar and cocoa have fluctuated, both products are cheaper today than they were five years ago.
It said: ‘ The European import price of sugar has been slowly fall- ing since the middle of 2014.’ On cocoa, it said: ‘The price reached a five-year high in December 2015 ... but has fallen sharply over the last year.’
Last year, Toblerone bars were cut from 400g to 360g by increasing the gap between the chocolate triangles.
The brand is owned by Mondelez, the parent company of Cadbury, which also cut the Terry’s Chocolate Orange by 10 per cent – down from 175g to 157g.
In 2015, the number of Cadbury creme eggs in a multi-pack was cut from six to five. In the same year, the recipe of the Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar changed to include cheaper sultanas alongside raisins.
The ONS said the tactic of cut- ting confectionary pack sizes without reducing prices increased the figure paid by shoppers by 1.22 percentage points.
Other products that have been reduced in size include bags of Doritos – which fell from 200g to 180g – and fruit juice. A bottle of Tropicana Pure Orange and Raspberry juice holds 850ml, down from one litre. Even the amount of tea in teabags has fallen – a pack of 80 PG tips teabags used to weigh 250g, but today it weighs 237g. Non-food products have also shrunk. The number of sheets on an Andrex toilet roll has fallen from 221 to 200, while the contents of a box of Surf washing powder has been cut to 1.61kg from 2kg.
Recently, food manufacturers, particularly confectioners, have insisted cuts in sizes are part of their contribution to tackling obesity and improving health.
The Food and Drink Federation, the industry body, said: ‘In recent years, industry has faced sharp increases in the cost of essential ingredients, packaging and other raw materials. The falling strength of the pound since June 2016 has added to these massive cost pressures.’ It added: ‘The Government is asking food companies to reduce sugar in foods, including reducing portions.’
Ratula Chakraborty, a business lecturer at the University of East Anglia, said watchdogs, such as the Competition and Markets Authority, should require firms to give customers clear information when packs are cut in size.