20 January 2024 , 00:01
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Some of the worst examples of products that have become victims of "shrinkflation" and "skimpflation" in UK supermarkets have been revealed.
Shrinkflation happens when a product gets smaller in weight, size or quantity while its price stays the same, drops slightly, or even increases, while skimpflation is when a product swaps out ingredients for cheaper alternatives, again without changing the price. An investigation by consumer group Which? found a large number of popular brands have been hit by this sneaky - but not illegal - form of inflation.
One of the "worst examples" found by Which? was Listerine Fresh Burst mouthwash, which shrank from 600ml to 500ml - but prices for this product rose by 52p in Tesco. This meant that shoppers paid 21% more for 17% less. When compared to the unit price per 100ml, this was a price increase of 46%.
Similarly, PG Tips The Tasty Decaf Pyramid tea bags went from containing 180 teabags to just 140 at several supermarkets. While many retailers also dropped the price, at Ocado the price actually rose from £4 to £5.09 despite the size reduction - that's 22% less tea for a 27% higher price or a 64% cost increase per tea bag.
Which? found that many products had been hit by shrinkflation including Andrex Flushable Washlets Toilet Wipes decreasing from 40 to 36 in a pack, Bisto Best Chicken Gravy Granules from 250g to 230g, Cadbury’s Brunch Chocolate Chip Bars from six to five in a pack, Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste 100ml to 75ml and Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns Crisps from 150g to 130g. Other popular brands hit by the practice included Lurpak, McVitie's, Yeo Valley, and Coffee Mate.
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Examples of skimpflation Which? found included Tesco Finest sausages which were reduced from 97% pork to 90%. Whilst Yeo Valley Spreadable Butter went from containing 54% butter to 50% butter and Morrisons Guacamole (150g) went from 80% avocado to 77%.
Subtle recipe changes were also seen in Tesco Beef Lasagne (1.5kg) from 23% beef to 19%, Tesco Tex Mex Chicken Enchiladas (480g) from 27% chicken to 20% and Morrisons The Best Lasagne Al Forno (400g) from 30% beef to 26%.
When approached by Which? the majority of manufacturers said that the changes often reflected their own costs or helped to keep products more affordable for consumers - in some cases manufacturers claimed the changes had improved the flavour or healthiness of a product.
A spokesperson for Arla, which makes Lurpak said its new 400g spreadable and 200g block options have "not been kept at the same price" and have reduced in proportion with the pack size. A spokesperson for Nestle said all manufacturers were facing significant increases in production costs and it was "doing everything it can" to manage them in the short term. However, it noted that it was sometimes necessary to make "minor adjustments" to the weight of products to maintain their quality.
A spokesman for Kenvue, which makes Listerine said price changes reflected the increased production costs and a PG Tips spokesperson said the average price of PG Tips decaf tea bags fell 10% between 2021 and 2022 according to Nielsen national pricing data. The spokesperson added: "The value of today’s PG Tips has also never been greater. We recently invested 50 million pounds into our new best ever product, which is appearing on store shelves now."
A Yeo Valley spokesperson said it had shared the changes with its customers ahead of the changes in stores through its website and email. On its recipe change, the spokesperson said it came after "extensive testing" to reduce the total level of fat in the product "without compromising on taste and quality."
Each spokesperson said even though they set the Recommended Retail Price (RRP), the final pricing was at the "sole discretion of the retailer".
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which represents supermarkets said that supermarkets were "focused on finding ways" to limit price rises while "maintaining the excellent quality of products" given the rising costs of production. While for branded products, the prices and size are "largely determined by the brands themselves." He added: "Prices and sizes of all products are clearly labelled so that customers can make informed decisions about their purchases.”
The consumer group argues that any changes to a product - whether to the size of a product or to the recipe - should be clear so that consumers can make an informed choice about whether a product is right for them or seek an alternative. Since 2022, Which? has campaigned to improve unit pricing after revealing frequent "inconsistent, hard-to read and missing unit pricing" across products sold in UK supermarkets.
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Our research shows that while some popular products are subtly decreasing either in size or quality, the same can’t be said for their prices – which means shoppers are inadvertently paying more for less.
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“Supermarkets and manufacturers must be more upfront by making sure changes to popular products are clear, and by ensuring that unit pricing is prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online so that shoppers can easily compare prices across different brands and pack sizes.”
Examples of "shrinkflation"
Products that have all shrunk but without a proportional price drop
- Listerine - went from 600ml to 500ml at Asda and Tesco
- PG Tips Tasty Decaf Pyramid tea bags went from 180 bags to 140 at Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose
- Andrex Classic Clean Flushable Washlets Moist Toilet Tissue Wipes - from 40 to 36 in a pack at Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco
- Bisto Best Chicken Gravy Granules - from 250g to 230g at Asda and Morrisons
- Cadbury Brunch Chocolate Chip Bars - from six to five in a pack at Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco
- Coffee Mate Original Whitener - from 500g to 450g at Tesco
- Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste - from 100ml to 75ml at Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco
- Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns Crisps - from 150g to 130g at Tesco
- Lurpak Slightly Salted Butter - from 225g to 180g at Morrisons and Sainsbury's
- McVitie’s Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits - from 433g to 400g at Morrisons and Tesco
- Yeo Valley Organic Salted Spreadable - from 500g to 400g at Sainsbury’s and Tesco
Examples of "skimpflation"
- Tesco Finest sausages - from 97% pork to 90%
- Morrisons Guacamole (150g) – from 80% avocado to 77%
- Morrisons The Best Lasagne Al Forno (400g) – from 30% beef to 26%
- Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Lasagne Ready Meal (400g) – from 28% beef to 26%
- Tesco Beef Lasagne (1.5kg) – from 23% beef to 19%
- Tesco Tex Mex Chicken Enchiladas (480g) – from 27% chicken to 20%
- Waitrose Butter Chicken Curry – from 47% chicken to 41%
- Yeo Valley Spreadable Butter – from 54% butter to 50%