• PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    8
    ·
    10 months ago

    Shrinkflation is largely a myth. Items do not shrink relative to inflation, in fact the majority of claimed products are larger now than they were 50 years ago.

    People often cite certain chocolate bar sizes with comparing the size today to that from the 90s. It’s not a fair comparison and not an example of shrinkflation. Mars bars have dropped 20% in size since the 90s but still are 4% larger today then when they originally came out.

    Neither are small boxes of cereal. When I worked at Wal-Mart 9 years ago those same thin boxes gave me grief when putting them out on the shelves.

    • Wilker@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      i see milk tasting almost like water like skimmed milk, as well as some juices i used to be able to buy, fillings in sweets like crackers and wafers being almost as thin as paper or outright stopping being sold and replaced by cookies using drops for a filling, yogurt being replaced by “milk drink” (yogurt is thicker and slower to flow down, i can tell the difference, but the label also changes, idk the english term for “bebida láctea”), a lot of sweets and bags reducing from 800g down to 600g, down to 400g while keeping the same price, packaging turning opaque and non-transparent, potato chips and other salt foods being filled 1/5th, down from 1/3rd, even instant noodles going from 150g down to 80g in the past decade.

      only things that aren’t changed as much is what i know to be the very basic things that people in here uses and cooks every day, that being rice (5kg), beans (5 and 1kg), pasta (500g all variants), sugar and salt (1kg), etc.
      mostly depends on the country you are in (i’m in Brazil), but the point is that it doesn’t stop at the chocolate bars.

      • PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Milk is generally a regulated good and cannot be watered down like that. The same is true with all dairy. It’s sad that you live in a country that does not offer such food protection.

        Chips have always been filled like that. The nitrogen in the bag keeps the food fresh and acts as a way to keep them from damage via transport. Lays had reduced thier weight though, which ended up being 5 less chips per bag. The bags are still almost twice the size they were than 35 years ago.

        In Canada the most popular brand of Ramen is Mr. Noodles. It’s been 85g for the last 20 years, maybe more.