Shrinkflation: The Inflation You Are Not Supposed to See

Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts, has documented shrinkflation. “Shrinkflation is a tactic that companies use to subtly reduce the size or weight of a product to save money without increasing the price. A less commonly known form of shrinkflation is where a company swaps out ingredients for cheaper alternatives or adds water while decreasing other ingredients.” Shrinkflation appeals to manufacturers “because they know customers will notice price increases but won't keep track of net weights or small details, like the number of sheets on a roll of toilet paper. Companies can also employ tricks to draw attention away from downsizing, like marking smaller packages with bright new labels that draw shoppers' eyes.” Information about weight or number is usually in small print.

Examples cited on National Public Radio (NPR) and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) program titled “Marketplace,” can enlighten consumers wandering the aisles of stores.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/08/1103766334/shrinkflation-globally-manufacturers-shrink-package-sizes
Market place: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-shrinkflation-1.6654780

• Cottonelle Ultra Clean Care toilet paper has shrunk from 340 sheets per roll to 312.
• Folgers coffee downsized its 51-ounce container to 43.5 ounces.
• Bags of Fritos Scoops marked "Party Size" used to be 18 oz and now are 15.5.
• Small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; was 65.
• Barilla kept the package the same size but reduced the net weight of pasta.
• General Mills downsized its cereal boxes by one ounce (28 grams). "One ounce is one bowl, and at about $5 a box, that costs you about $0.25."
• Sun-Maid Raisins and Dove Body Wash have both shrunk in size.
• Some products reduce oil and substitute water (less oil more water same weight). 
• Laundry detergent pods reduced from 40 to 38.
• Gatorade from 32 ounces (946 ml) to 28 ounces (828 ml).
• General Mills's Betty Crocker SuperMoist Cake Mix has shrunk 13 % to 375 gms
• Tubs of Ben and Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs ice cream each recently shrunk from 500 milliliters to 473 milliliters and 450 milliliters, respectively.

Shrinkflation is not new. Experts say it happens more often in times of high inflation.