Whiskas shrinks cat food pouches

WHISKAS has slashed the size of its cat food pouches from 100g to 85g, but kept the price the same in the latest example of the so-called practice of “shrinkflation”.

It has also stopped selling 2kg bags of dry food and now only sells 1.9kg bags – and has raised the price.

Shrinkflation has become increasingly common on supermarket shelves as food and drink companies battle rising prices for their own ingredients. The Daily Telegraph revealed in December that Mini Cheddars had become less cheesy and moved into smaller packs despite the price remaining the same in most shops.

A Whiskas spokesman said: “Extensive research from the Waltham Petcare Science Institute identified 80-85g as the recommended portion size for wet cat food, as 90pc of cat parents feed a mixture of wet and dry food.”

They added that the smaller packets would help owners “minimise food waste” by ensuring cats were given “the right amount”.

In the case of the dry cat food bags, the spokesman said: “Sadly, we are not immune to the inflationary pressures being felt around the globe.” Whiskas is the UK’S second biggest pet food brand, behind Felix.