Weet-Bix has been labelled as “un-Australian” by angry customers after the company slashed the size of its popular family value packs by 20 per cent but kept the price the same.
Bargain 1.5 kilograms boxes of the cereal favourite sold at Coles supermarkets were recently replaced with it’s 1.2kg pack. However, many shoppers are now fuming as the price has remained the same.
Coles exclusively sold the now deleted 1.5kg value pack for $5, while Woolworths was selling 1.2kg boxes for $4. Now, the 1.2kg value pack is $5, and has 12 fewer Weet-Bix.
Frustrated customers took to social media to express their outrage at the change.
“I am furious,” one commentator wrote. “Weet-bix is ripping folk off… the 1.5kg box of weet-bix was $5.00 a box, now its 1.2kg for the same price.”
Another added: “Another hit to the family budget… value pack same price but 300gm less, not cool.”
“So where has the value gone?” one person asked.
While another wrote: “That is a big weight reduction for no reduction in the cost.”
However, in a statement posted on the company’s Facebook page, Weet-bix said the NSW drought has bumped up manufacturing costs.
“We’ve been listening to your feedback on the price of Weet-Bix and we know you’re disappointed. Over the past four years we’ve seen costs for things like energy and transport increase, and the drought in eastern Australia has really impacted wheat prices too. As a result, our cost price of Weet-Bix has gone up.
“Providing Aussie families with affordable nutrition is not only what we do – it’s who we are. Please rest assured we value your feedback and are grateful for your understanding.”
It comes after Aussie supermarkets Woolworths and Coles announced a 10-cent per litre levy would be added to certain sizes of their own brand milk in a bid to assist those affected by the recent drought, which has seen farmers struggling to get by in recent months.
The price of a 3-litre carton of milk, which originally cost $3, was increased to $3.30 with 100 per cent of the increase going to dairy farmers, who for months have been scraping by to make ends meet.
Last year saw countless reports of farmers struggling in the drought, with some posting images of their dead and starving livestock, which has drawn millions of dollars in donations from the public through platforms such as Buy a Bale, Rural Aid and Fiver for a Farmer. Parts of the country are experiencing the worst drought in decades, with New South Wales suffering its worst drought since 1965.