Many grocery store products have been sneakily reduced in size, a new report finds, but one expert says the results aren’t surprising and that other concerns regarding packaging need to be addressed.
A study conducted by non-profit organization Community Researchers in June analyzed 60 products in 20 separate food categories, such as processed meat, cheeses, nuts, fruits and more. Released on Wednesday, the research provided evidence of shrinkflation, proving that 12 of the 60 products (20 per cent) had significantly decreased in size or weight in the last five years.
Among the products, the worst offenders included GoGo Squeez fruit squeeze pouches (from 1440 g to 1080 g), Jane’s boneless chicken bites (from 900 g to 710 g) and Crisco vegetable oil (from 1420 mL to 1180 mL).
Canadian researcher and professor in food distribution, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, says he was not surprised at these findings, as shrinkflation has existed in our economy for decades.
“We go through cycles. And we’ve just ended the latest cycle. This group looked at the last five years, and I would say that the last cycle lasted from 2022 to about earlier this year,” Charlebois explained to Now Toronto on Thursday.
“Every 10 to 15 years, input costs go up, inflation becomes a problem, and of course, manufacturers tend to reduce quantities. So, it’s not something that is new.”
Much of the report details the products compared to past years at three large chain grocery stores: No Frills, Metro and Walmart. Charlebois says he found the study to be disappointing, wishing it would have covered more deeper issues regarding shrinkflation, such as overpackaging, the impacts on food inflation and the snack tax.
“A lot of companies tend to sell you the illusion that they haven’t changed anything in quantity, but they need extra packaging to do that. If your quantities are reduced, packaging is not so there’s a hypothesis suggesting that perhaps manufacturers are using too much packaging,” Charlebois explained.
The professor also questioned if Statistics Canada is doing enough to accurately measure the impact of shrinkflation on food inflation.
“If food inflation is not properly measured, a lot of social programs may not be accurately assessing the needs of some people for certain social programs,” he said.
“A lot of products have shrunk so much that they’ve become snacks. For example, if you sell a box of ice cream, under 500 ml is actually taxable compared to over 500 ml, and that adds an extra 15 per cent. In Ontario. Granola bars, as another example, if you actually go from six to five in a box, it becomes taxable, which adds an extra 15 per cent. So, those are the real issues related to inflation. And there’s no mention of any of these three issues in the report,” Charlebois concluded.
Foods with high sugar and fat content experienced the highest shrinkflation rates. However, shrinkflation was not found in many other categories, including fruits, whole wheat, and beverages.
The report comes as Walmart and Costco agreed this week to participate in a grocery industry code of conduct, resulting in all five major grocery chains signing off on the new rules. The legislation aims to ease relations between retailers and their suppliers.
The code of conduct is set to launch in June next year.
