Photo: iStockphoto
No, I don’t mean smaller packaging for environmental or transportation-cost purposes. I mean less actual food. The other day, I noticed that the half-gallon of orange juice we buy had been downsized to 59 ounces. But, importantly, the box’s footprint was the same size so that it still fit snugly in the ‘fridge door.
The Times has a rundown called “Food Inflation Kept Hidden in Tinier Bags.” It’s well worth reading. The funny part is that if the intention of the smaller packages were to fight obesity, the article might have been more complimentary.
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With the obesity epidemic, everyone has blamed the “super-size” mentality and availability surrounding food. If food starts coming in smaller packages, maybe this will help to curb the obesity growth?
Enter Europe’s mandatory price marking rule. Each item must have a marking on the shelf which details the cost per 1 kg. Makes it an eye-blinkingly fast exercise to compare two similar but different packages or brands.
The article would have been more complimentary no doubt if the shrinkage was advertised as “to fight obesity”. Instead I’m assuming it is not advertised at all and so veers towards fraud, gradually diminishing the amount of the product you get for the same money.
Most grocery stores in the US do this as well, though they usually list the price per ounce.
While I agree this annoying, I am not sure what the harm is.
Surely many people could use smaller portions, and many people could also stand to spend less money. So paying the same for slightly less seems a better solution than paying more for the same.
That said I agree it drives me crazy when something is in a standard size container but does not have standard sized contents.
Just last week I saw a package that said Pound Cake — 14 ounces.
My wife has been very quick to notice the rip off. Keep up the good work. It’s weird how big business rips us off in such a sneaky way, BTW, can you explain the increasing usage of elongated photos? (evident on your home page) Who started this?
That’s nothing mate, you should see the size of an Imperial gallon compared with your dinky American gallons.
You’ve been had!