A new wave of shrinkflation is hitting shop shelves, according to consumer champion Which?.
Big brands are cutting back on the size or quality of popular products, including toothpaste, coffee and even heartburn medicine.
“Households are already under immense financial pressure with food bills inching up and the expense of Christmas looming on the horizon,” says Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor.
“So it can feel especially sneaky when manufacturers quietly reduce pack sizes or downgrade key ingredients. Supermarkets must be more upfront.”
Health
Among the worst examples of shrinkflation shared with Which? was Aquafresh Complete Care Original Toothpaste, which went from £1.30 for 100ml to £2 for 75ml at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado.
Also in the healthcare aisle, shoppers reported bottles of Gaviscon Heartburn and Indigestion Liquid shrinking from 600ml to 500ml.
Chocolate
In a not-so-festive move, Quality Street chocolate tubs have been reduced from 600g to 550g.
The price, meanwhile, increased from £6 to £7 at Morrisons.
KitKat Two-Finger Milk Chocolate Bar multipacks went from 21 bars to 18. At Ocado the price also rose from £3.60 to £5.50.
Cadbury’s multipacks of Freddo and Fudge bars both went from five bars to four at Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco.
The weight of a Terry’s chocolate orange toffee crunch has fallen 7g.
Meanwhile, two white chocolate products can no longer be advertised as “chocolate”.
White KitKats now contain less than 20% cocoa butter, and McVitie’s white digestives similarly missed the mark.
It comes after the Money team reported that Penguin and Club bars no longer contain enough cocoa to be considered chocolate.
Breakfast
Sainsbury’s Scottish Oats have shrunk from 1kg to 500g while the price increased from £1.25 to £2.10 – a 236% rise per 100g.
It gets worse for those who like a cup of coffee with their porridge. Which? found Nescafe Original Instant Coffee had shrunk from 200g to 190g at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda – a rise of five per cent per 100g.