Not just shrinkflation, watch out for these 4 common tricks they use to (covertly) raise prices

Not just shrinkflation, watch out for these 4 common tricks they use to (covertly) raise prices

Prices rise not only due to inflation. Producers can use a series of "tricks" to increase the price of food (and not only) in a veiled way, the best known but certainly not the only one is shrinkflation


Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

There are those who relax while shopping but, instead, it seems that we should always be particularly careful about what we buy, especially if we do not want to fall into the traps of some companies that, using simple tricks, make us overpay theirs. products.




To return to this more thorny topic than ever, considering the period of energy and raw materials crisis we are facing, is the French consumer magazine 60 Millions de consommateurs which highlights some techniques commonly used by producers to make food and drinks pay more. .

So let's be careful. Even behind a change of packaging, or the launch of some "innovative" product, the following "tricks" can actually be hidden to make us spend more.

Index

Shrinkflation

We have talked about it several times, it is a kind of "hidden inflation", as we pay more for a product that has been reduced. In other words, the quantity decreases but the price increases.

In some cases, producers can, for example, take advantage of a change of packaging, to remove a certain quantity from the product while maintaining the same price.

A technique that is not really new (it has existed for many years, about 10, and was first reported in the United States) that applies to many products, not just food. For example, we have talked to you about the reduction of sachets of wet food for animals but also about the "shrinking" of snacks, packs of pasta, drinks, etc.

Read also:

  • How companies fool us with smaller packages (and same price)
  • KitKat, Smarties, Lion: Nestlé is "tricking you" with smaller packages (but costs increased by up to 25%)
  • Shrinkflation: from pasta to pet food, see how producers "deceive" us by reducing the quantity (without increasing the price)
  • Wet cat food: reduced packaging and higher prices, it's shrinkflation

“Simplicity” sold at a high price

As consumers are increasingly attentive to the list of ingredients, some brands advertise their products underlining the fact that they are without preservatives, additives, dyes, thus focusing on the simplicity of the recipe which is sold at a high price and which, at times , it is not even that precise in its description.



The magazine gives the example of a French reference “Maionese Amora” advertised as simple as it is made with “just 5 ingredients”. Going to sift through, it turns out that in reality there is also a sixth, water, which should not even be present in the mayonnaise recipe.

Come si legge su 60 Million Consumers:

The statement “5 ingredients and that's it” is very limited, because, in fact, this product contains six of them. If we add all the ingredients indicated on the label, we get only 95%: 74% rapeseed oil, 8% white wine vinegar, 7,2% Dijon mustard (water, mustard, spirit vinegar, salt), 5,1 % egg yolk, 0,7% salt. Amora, whom we interviewed, explains that this missing 5% corresponds to "a small amount of water". According to the European regulation “Inco”, which regulates the labeling of food products, the quantity of added water “cannot be taken into consideration if, by weight, it does not exceed 5% of the finished product”, and this is the case. The manufacturer therefore has the right not to mention it. We can still consider that her statement "5 ingredients and that's it" is very limited, because, in fact, this product contains six of them. With, among other things, a rather unexpected sixth ingredient, since the traditional recipe of mayonnaise does not contain water!

Individual portions at a very high price

Sometimes it can be convenient to buy single portions, but behind these often lurk prices (not to mention the excess packaging), which generates exceptional margins for producers.

According to surveys carried out by the French magazine, a Caprice des Dieux cheese sold in a pack of three individual servings costs 62% more per kilo than the classic version from 300 g.


And there's a big difference between coffee capsules and ground coffee too. In French supermarkets:


The “classic” ground coffee (Lavazza Il Matino) is exposed to 6,65 euros per kilo. The pack of Nespresso compatible pods (Carrefour Simpl) is sold for € 19,80 per kilo, or almost three times more! Same observation with the first biological reference (San Marco), at 44,07 euros per kilo while the price is 15,40 euros per kilo in the ground version (Carte Noire Bio).

Confusing consumers about the real quantity and price

This trick is definitely more "subtle" and only the most attentive consumers will find it. We talk about large packages, as 60 Millions de Consommaterus writes:

By purchasing a family-friendly product, householders are sure to please their entire tribe. But not necessarily their wallet!

Some examples? The Fleury Michon chicken breast slices "-25% salt", which are sold in 4 or 8 slices, have an identical packaging: we find the same photo of the chicken slices, highlighted next to a mixed salad, and the same endorsements. What changes?

In the pack of 4 slices these weigh 40 g while in the pack of 8 slices only… 30 g! The price per kilo therefore ranges from € 14,81 for the first to € 16,04 for the second. A trick that can mislead consumers who don't take the time to compare products. Because there is less in the pot and you pay more!

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Cast Iron: 60 Million Consumers

Read also:

  • 5 supermarket traps that aren't saving you money and tricks to avoid them
  • “Natural”, “no added sugar”: this is how the slogans on food and drinks deceive consumers
  • 100% "natural" food, the legal definition is urgent in order not to deceive consumers
  • Food labels: 10 misleading words to watch out for
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