The big food conspiracy?

[andrew1707]

My wife maintains that food companies are hiding price increases by decreasing the size of the portions.
She was trying to convince me, the other day, that her packet of Custard Creams was smaller than it had been last time she bought them. This is just the last in a line of such decreasing products that Mrs 1707 has encountered.

When my packet of Wheat Chrunchies appeared to empty prematurely today, I thougt "What if she is right!!!" and checked the size: 30g. Surely not, didn't they used to be 35g. Two mins on Google images confirmed this: Wheat Crunchy packets have shrunk!!!

Has anyone in AB land noticed any other examples of this shrinkage?

[flobadob]

I think that it's common knowledge that this has occured.

[grasscarp]

Wagon wheels got smaller over the years.

[andrew1707]

>grasscarp: you sure you haven't just gotten bigger?

I remember that cream eggs used to look like duck eggs when I was eight. Now they look like quail's eggs

[grasscarp]

Yes, I got a lot bigger, but the wagon wheels definitely have really got smaller.

[wolf63]

Why did they increase the size of the bottle of my favourite drink from 500ml to 600ml. It makes counting out how many litres I have in the fridge difficult. I THINK that I have 24 litres - maybe not!

[micmak]

Iceland chocolate eclairs are much smaller. They are still a quid though.

[joannie10]

I have noticed that the mini bottles of wine I occasionally bought (when trying to cut down) went from being 25cl to 18cl I think it is!!

[sandyRoe]

It used to be you could get 10 choc ices for a quid in Iceland. Then there were 8 in a packet for the same price.
Now they don't stock them anymore.

[Frank97]

I always used to buy Innocent smoothies, until recently when I noticed that they weren't lasting as long as usual. They have reduced the content by 25% yet kept the price and the carton the same, I complained but I guess it just fell on deaf ears.

[pastafreak]

It's very common,and has been going on for quite a while.
I suppose it's assumed we will always notice price changes,but not size-as long as the packaging is the same or similar.

http://conversation.w...t-shrinking-products/

http://www.mirror.co....ut-prices-stay-117544

[daisya]

Definitely happened and is happening and I think I read somewhere though cannot remember where that some manufacturers were admitting to cutting down size and amounts instead of putting up prices. Mind you, I think they are still putting up prices anyway...they try and fob us off but still continue price increases because they know we have to eat!

[callyann]

Just about every product but I think fewer crisps and more air in the bag is aprime example.

[heathfield]

Jacobs buiscuits for cheese 1.0kg tub now 900gms. Those piled-up Roses Chocolates tins in supermarkets at Christmas used to be 1,5kg, then 1.2kg then 1.0kg, and this Christmas past, they were 975gms. They're all at it.