Steady reduction in food product sizes.

[Buddyboy546]

This post is about the steadily insidious reduction in food packaging sizes. In a separate post about Presidents Choice Senior Dog Food, https://forum.smartcanucks.ca/439037...g-food-canada/, I complained about a sudden 70% increase in the price for the product disguised within a 33% reduction in the package size. The company failed to explain the reason for this gouging increase.

Lately I find that the size of bagels sold by Atlantic Superstore (Loblaws) in packages of 6 has suddenly reduced. I used to eat a bagel for my breakfast but now need two, yet no reduction in price. The bagels are much smaller. Today I read that, in spite of the ravaging effect of Covid on business, Loblaws just posted record high profits and dividends for investors yet refuse to reinstate a danger bonus for their increasingly infected and vulnerable staff across Canada. Speaking for myself, while I still shop at Atlantic Superstore out of necessity, I increasingly look for a more ethical alternative whenever possible.

Does anyone know of a registry of product sizing over time, somewhere a person can go to see what size a product was sold in in the past? Right now I find I buy a product sometimes saying to myself 'I am sure this is smaller that it used to be' but am unaware where to go to check if that is the case. The retailers take advantage of this fact by how they introduce a price increase via size reduction in some instances. For example, in the case of the above described increase in dog food, the product completely disappeared off the shelves for about a month, only to reappear in a smaller size at a greater price. With no larger package around from earlier stock, I am sure they hope we gullible (their obvious view of us) consumers will not realize the size of the increase. My wife often comments that she cannot find a particular product anywhere, saying she expects it will reappear at a greater price or reduced size. As often as not she is correct.

In my view this type of practise needs to be seen for what it is, large companies treating customers as vulnerable saps, milking us for what they can if they think they can get away with it. Thank heavens for web sites such as this for affording us the opportunity to shine a light on this shoddy practise.

[walkonby]

@Buddyboy546 it is either one or the other.....they jack up the price ( which every consumer notices ) or they shrink the product ( which only eagle eyes catch ) . My pet peeve is that for some recipes in the past I used to grab a jar of this and a can of that, mixed with a tub of another item. Can't do that anymore.

My DS and DH pet peeve is with the cans of tuna. They used to open a can and get 2 decent sized sammies from it, now the filling is spread rather thin across their bread. I told then to start buying slider hamburger buns for those tuna days.
Optical illusion of a nice full snack.

The food manufacturers have us all by the short and curlies!!

[Buddyboy546]

Sadly it isn't an either or. It is often both. The dog food I referred to went from $11.99 for 3kg to $13.99 for 2kg following about a one month absence on the shelves! There are so many examples and, yes, cans of tuna is a good one.

[Thatdone]

Bacon when they cut packages from 500g to 375g, We always found 500g was good for 4 people and then when they cut the package size down to 375g it does not seem to be enough for the same 4 people. Now we will only buy the NoName and pc 500g packages

[GoJays]

Same here @Thatdone but I do find the PC bacon to be a bit chewier than either Schneiders or Maple Leaf

Cheese slices have gone down to, I think, 22 slices per package, and 410g. I'm pretty sure it used to be 24 and 450
Heavy cream is some stupid quantity now. It used to be a nice even 500ml. Now? I don't even know...

[Ciel]

The regular bag of Ruffles (not the bigger Family size ones) is now under 236g. I thought I was seeing the 220g weight incorrectly!

Someone needs to make a bag of chips named #MemoriesOf300gChipBags

[HermanH]

Cheese slices have gone down to, I think, 22 slices per package, and 410g. I'm pretty sure it used to be 24 and 450

You are right; they reduced it from 450g / 24 slices to 410g / 22 slices about a year earlier and probably hoped that the general public would not notice. I held out and only bought the Black Diamond brands (because they did not shrink) until they, too, reduced package sizes to 410 grams.

I used to be willing to buy the 454g packages for $2 on sale (comes to 4.41/kg). Now, I wait until the 410g packages drop down to $1.88 on sale ($4.59/kg). Those sales are getting more and more rare, but I hold out stubbornly for them.

[HermanH]

Does anyone know of a registry of product sizing over time, somewhere a person can go to see what size a product was sold in in the past? Right now I find I buy a product sometimes saying to myself 'I am sure this is smaller that it used to be' but am unaware where to go to check if that is the case. The retailers take advantage of this fact by how they introduce a price increase via size reduction in some instances. For example, in the case of the above described increase in dog food, the product completely disappeared off the shelves for about a month, only to reappear in a smaller size at a greater price. With no larger package around from earlier stock, I am sure they hope we gullible (their obvious view of us) consumers will not realize the size of the increase. My wife often comments that she cannot find a particular product anywhere, saying she expects it will reappear at a greater price or reduced size. As often as not she is correct.

Don't rely upon anyone but yourself. If you think that it is important enough to remember, Write It Down on the package. I do this consistently with the date/month and price (and sometimes store), right on the packaging. This helps me remember when comparison shopping and how prices/sizes change over time. Face it, few people can remember the price of things they bought months earlier. It also helps me gauge the general cycles between sales in order to try and schedule purchases in time with the next upcoming sale.

[HermanH]

The trend continues with Harvest Crunch cereal. Just a few months ago, they were selling boxes of Original flavour for 560g. Now, it seems like they are trying to sell boxes of 475g (a reduction of 15%).

[Ciel21]

The bag of Ruffles BBQ chips has 200g listed on its packaging! Remember when chip bags were 300g?

[Ciel21]

Think it's the current Sobey's flyer (ON) that show 2 cartons of Beatrice Chocolate Milk (750ml) at a special price. When did the 1L cartons downsize?

In other news, expect dairy price hikes. https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/cost...ease-1.5645640

*I did see 1L chocolate milk containers at Shoppers on the weekend, so maybe some producers have downsized the cartons for flavoured milk but not all producers.

[HermanH]

Oreo cookie packages were 303g, now 270g for the same price.

[HermanH]

Think it's the current Sobey's flyer (ON) that show 2 cartons of Beatrice Chocolate Milk (750ml) at a special price. When did the 1L cartons downsize?

750mL cartons have been around for quite some time. However, I still see 946mL cartons as well as 1L plastic jugs of Beatrice.

[HermanH]

Ritz crackers down from 200g to 180g.

[HermanH]

Barilla pasta down to 410g from 454g.