Why does that bag of chips feel lighter? Blame ‘shrinkflation’.

To cut costs, some companies are shrinking the amount of product they put in their packaging.

By Kristen CabreraMarch 15, 2022 3:13 pm

If you’ve gone to the grocery store lately, you’ve probably noticed that prices are on the rise. Though price increases are an obvious symptom of inflation, there are others. One of these is so-called shrinkflation.

Consumers have noticed changes to the contents of their favorite product packages, even as prices remain the same.

Clarisa Diaz reported on shrinkflation for qz.com. She says some companies are putting fewer chips in each bag, fewer crackers in boxes and less toothpaste in tubes.

Highlights from this segment:

– Shrinkflation isn’t new. It can happen any time a company’s costs rise, but market forces prevent it from raising prices.

– Products that have recently experience shrinkflation include Gatorade, Doritos and Wheat Thins.

– “Slack fill” is the process of not filling a package completely, while leaving the impression that the container is completely full.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.