A snack-sized controversy erupts as shoppers uncover shrinking chip portions

In a move that has left snack enthusiasts reaching for their magnifying glasses, shrinkflation has once again reared its ugly head.

The latest victim? A beloved chip brand that has been a staple in pantries around the world.

The revelation came to light when an eagle-eyed shopper shared an image of a Pringles chip on social media, showcasing a stark reduction in size.

“I don’t remember pringles being this tiny,” they wrote alongside the photo.

What was once a reliable and satisfying snack, has now seemingly fallen victim to a growing trend in the food industry—shrinkflation.

Shrinkflation, a term coined to describe the reduction in product size while maintaining the same or higher price, has become an all-too-familiar strategy for manufacturers looking to cope with rising production costs without raising too many eyebrows.

The post quickly garnered attention, with comments flooding in from bewildered consumers who felt a sense of betrayal at the alleged sneaky downsizing tactics.

“I’m sad for kids these days. They will never know what good snacks taste like. To make manufacturing cheaper shrinkflation, ingredient substitutions, off shoring have meant heaps of stuff is a poor imitation of what is used to be,” one person wrote.

“Perhaps your spoon got bigger. But you’re right, everything is shrinking except the price.”

“Pretty sure they used to be as wide as the can. Now you can almost fit 2 side by side,” noted another.

“They’re so small now they get turned round in the can and smashed to bits. Not worth buying anymore.”

In a strikingly familiar turn of events, recent changes to a cherished Australian biscuit recently ignited a similar uproar, leaving a nation of snack lovers in despair. Aussies took to social media to express their dismay at the apparent decline in the quality of their beloved Monte Carlo.

Much like the Pringles and so many products on the supermarket shelves these days the beloved afternoon tea staple also seemingly fell victim to shrinkflation.

One unhappy biscuit lover took to social media to express their grievance about the recent changes in the biscuit’s size, with many more fed up with getting “ripped off”.

The unhappy shopper sent a photo of the biscuit in questions to 3AW radio host Jacqui Felgate, complaining that the raspberry jam-coated layer of cream inside the biscuit has reduced in size.

“What has happened to the Arnott’s Monte Carlos?” they wrote in the message, which was shared to Instagram.

“Monte Carlos have always been a favourite but as you can imagine with the steep rise in the cost of living a packet has sadly become a luxury spend. So you can imagine our horror when we opened the packet this evening to a long awaited treat to this …”

 

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A post shared by JACQUELINE FELGATE (@jacquifelgate)

Fellow shoppers, much like the complaints that arose about the Pringles, were outraged by the impact of shrinkflation and took to the post to express frustration and complain about the biscuit’s smaller size.