As food costs rise, retailers keep prices stable by shrinking package sizes, quantities
That "pint" of Häagen-Dazs ice cream weighs in at 14 ounces, two ounces short of a technical pint.
Honey, they shrunk the orange juice.
Household brands ranging from Ivory soap to Kraft cheese singles have seen their packages downsized up to 20% over the last few years - even though shoppers are paying just as much, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.
The investigation found that consumers are getting less bang for their buck on everything from toothpaste to tuna cans.
"You are paying the same for less," said Consumer Reports senior editor Tod Marks.
The supermarket's biggest losers include a half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice, which should be 64 ounces based on what you learned in school, but is just 59 ounces.
Also svelter: the iconic Häagen-Dazs ice cream pint, which has shed nearly 13% of its weight, and Kraft 2% Milk Singles, now featuring two fewer slices.
These incredibly shrinking products are a byproduct of rising commodity and fuel costs that are expected to raise the cost of food by 3% this year.
"Over the past few years, the cost of dairy, fresh eggs and all-natural ingredients - like fresh raspberries and Madagascar vanilla - have increased an average of 25%," said Häagen-Dazs spokeswoman Dori Bailey.
Tropicana said it decided to reduce the size of its product last year due to a devastating winter freeze during the last growing season, which yielded one of the smallest orange crops in 20 years.
"Tropicana chose to maintain the price of our most popular product by converting our 64-ounce Tropicana Pure Premium carton to 59 ounces," company spokeswoman Gina Judge said.
Reluctant to create sticker shock in tough economic times, manufacturers turned to shrinking their products. Consumers are far more sensitive to price increases than they are to changes in sizes, experts say.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2011/01/05/2011-01-05_as_food_cost...
Honey, they shrunk the orange juice.
Household brands ranging from Ivory soap to Kraft cheese singles have seen their packages downsized up to 20% over the last few years - even though shoppers are paying just as much, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.
The investigation found that consumers are getting less bang for their buck on everything from toothpaste to tuna cans.
"You are paying the same for less," said Consumer Reports senior editor Tod Marks.
The supermarket's biggest losers include a half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice, which should be 64 ounces based on what you learned in school, but is just 59 ounces.
Also svelter: the iconic Häagen-Dazs ice cream pint, which has shed nearly 13% of its weight, and Kraft 2% Milk Singles, now featuring two fewer slices.
These incredibly shrinking products are a byproduct of rising commodity and fuel costs that are expected to raise the cost of food by 3% this year.
"Over the past few years, the cost of dairy, fresh eggs and all-natural ingredients - like fresh raspberries and Madagascar vanilla - have increased an average of 25%," said Häagen-Dazs spokeswoman Dori Bailey.
Tropicana said it decided to reduce the size of its product last year due to a devastating winter freeze during the last growing season, which yielded one of the smallest orange crops in 20 years.
"Tropicana chose to maintain the price of our most popular product by converting our 64-ounce Tropicana Pure Premium carton to 59 ounces," company spokeswoman Gina Judge said.
Reluctant to create sticker shock in tough economic times, manufacturers turned to shrinking their products. Consumers are far more sensitive to price increases than they are to changes in sizes, experts say.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2011/01/05/2011-01-05_as_food_cost...
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