Tuesday, May 24, 2011

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING FOOD

This is what is happening to your food....they have been zapped by the


Okay, for a long time I just thought it was my imagination.  I'd zoom through the aisles of the local grocery store, pick up an item and think, "geesh, it seems smaller" but then I'd just go on my way and not think too much about it.  That is, until the other day.....when I really started paying attention.  And, I realized that it is NOT my imagination.  Food  packages are really shrinking! So, in my quest to find out the reason why, I stumbled upon this article from The New York Times.   According to the article, rather than raise prices, because of the economy, manufacturers are just making the packaging smaller.  They think that we aren't going to notice.  


Well, I have definitely noticed.  Bags of Doritos, Fritos, and Tostitos, as well as Nabisco saltines and Honey Maid graham crackers are all smaller.  Bags of sugar are now 4 lbs instead of 5, and a can of Chicken of the Sea albacore tuna is now packed at 5 ounces, instead of the 6-ounce.  What's up with that?  Also, there are less cheese slices in a package of Kraft cheese. Seriously.   I mean, who decided to do that?


Companies are also using tactics like adding more air to create a lighter product, like whipped yogurt, so that there is less real product in the package.  I found that out when I bought a carton of Betty Crocker Whipped Frosting.  What a total waste of money that turned out to be.  There was hardly enough frosting to frost my cake!  


Then, I was making a recipe that uses spaghetti noodles.  I didn't even notice that the normally 16 oz. package of spaghetti noodles now suddenly contained only 12.5 oz.  I couldn't figure out why my dish wasn't turning out right until I looked at the package!  Talk about MAD!  So, I started doing some figuring.  Okay, so 3.5 oz less doesn't seem like a big deal, but that translates into an almost 25% hidden price increase!! Yet, the box is identical!  Talk about a rip-off!  And, that is just for one item!


What products have you noticed shrinking?  Tell Me....Inquiring Minds want to Know!  ;)




A.Marie

2 comments:

  1. Toilet paper. I noticed the roll dancing around the roller awhile back. They shaved a good 1/2 inch off each roll! Crazy.

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  2. Yogurt used to be 750g tubs. Now, the tubs are the same size but with only 650g in them. I've noticed quite a few products too, but couldn't tell you what they are right now! It's infuriating though, that's for sure.

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