Aussies cry foul as another culinary favourite falls victim to ‘shrinkflation’

In the latest instance of shrinkflation, the downsizing trend affecting beloved products across the globe, it seems that even the iconic fast food outlets are not immune.

A disgruntled fast-food aficionado took their grievances to Reddit, crying foul over what they claim to be a dwindling portion of KFC’s beloved chips.

The user, posting under the handle @LikeSoda, accompanied their post with a telling photo of a seemingly meagre serving of chips.

“The second I grabbed these chips outta the bag immediately felt how thin it is now,” they lamented.

“Been a few months since I’ve had Kentucky Chuck, but the sense in my hand was immediate!”

The post sparked a wave of reactions from a community that seemingly is fed up with getting less bang for their buck.

One commenter bemoaned the decline in quality, saying, “It was never fine dining but used to have hot, fresh chips with good seasoning, hot, fresh, crispy chicken, decent size, not too oily, and restaurants that were generally clean and maintained. Now all of it is pretty mediocre and more expensive.”

Another Redditor chimed in, shedding light on the downsizing trend in KFC’s fried chicken pieces. “Wait until you see the fried chicken pieces. They are tiny nowadays to the point that it feels like they are cooking spatchcock-sized chickens. Sometimes it’s fine, but mostly it’s tiny drumsticks/pieces.”

The consensus among the commenters appeared to be that the portions have been gradually shrinking over time. “They were already barely half full as it was,” remarked one user, while another recounted a recent disappointing experience, saying, “Yeah, I ordered a regular portion a few weeks ago, and no way was it regular; it was more kids sized.”

In a nostalgic twist, another commenter took a trip down memory lane, stating, “I remember a large chips doing a small lunch for 2 people 30 years ago.”

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.

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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by JACQUELINE FELGATE (@jacquifelgate)

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 …”