92 Times Shrinkflation Was So Blatant, It Needed To Be Shamed In Public

Recently, a German court ruled that the makers of Milka, the chocolate brand’s United States owner, Mondelēz, deceived shoppers by reducing the weight of the classic Alpine Milk bar from 100 grams to 90 grams.

The key issue was that they shrunk the size “without significantly altering the distinctive purple packaging,” the Guardian reports.

“After last year’s changes, the Milka bar was a millimeter thinner, and the price increased from €1.49 (£1.29) to €1.99 (£1.72).”

Of course, the reasons behind chocolate product shrinkflation are understandable. Poor cocoa bean harvests in West Africa have led to higher ingredient, energy, and transportation costs for companies.

And Milka bars are far from the only ones to be affected. The Guardian recently uncovered that Toblerone bars, another Mondelēz brand, shrank from 360 grams to 340 grams.

Mondelēz claimed that it had informed German consumers about the changes in product size on its website, as well as its social media channels. However, one German poll saw consumers claim that the Alpine Milk bar was the “rip-off packaging of the year 2025.”

According to the German court, the company should have included a clear notice on the packaging to avoid confusion, lasting at least 4 months.

However, the ruling is not final, and the company has a month to appeal the verdict. “Our aim has always been, and remains, to communicate transparently, comprehensively, and responsibly with everyone who buys and enjoys our products,” Mondelēz said.

According to CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn, the United States is currently in a “premium economy” economy. Meanwhile, his colleague, Allison Morrow, wittily named it the “little treats” economy in the CNN Business Nightcap newsletter.

“Despite a growing chunk of people entering the ranks of the upper middle class and even becoming millionaires, they feel like they’re falling behind. That’s because owning a home, the defining symbol of middle-class life in America, has drifted out of reach. Retiring like the Baby Boomers, whose wealth has grown faster than younger generations, also seems to be in jeopardy,” Meyersohn writes.

“So people are instead trading up where they can — spending their rising wages on the smaller, attainable perks they can afford in premium class.”

As per Meyersohn, nearly 40% of Americans do not own their home. “They missed out on soaring home values after the pandemic. Home prices have since ballooned to five times the average median income, trapping people in place.”

The result is that new members of the upper-middle class are redirecting their higher wages.

“Saving for a down payment feels increasingly futile to young workers who lack family wealth. So, many are shrugging at the housing market altogether and directing their expendable income toward splurges — a premium economy upgrade for your flight to Paris, say, or a nicer hotel with a spa treatment. You may not own a home, but you can have yourself a little treat instead," Morrow explains. "For all the Millennials out there who recall being scolded for their supposedly indulgent lifestyles, it’s time to take a big bite of avocado toast and a swig of that $8 latte."

Shrinkflation is, at its core, a sneaky way for businesses—mainly selling food and beverages—to boost their profit margins and counter-balance rising production costs. They do this by slightly (emphasis on ‘slightly’) reducing the size of the product. At the same time, they either keep the product's price the same or even raise it.

The idea behind this stealth tactic is that consumers are very sensitive to price increases, but they usually don’t notice size decreases. However, when they do notice the changes, this harms brand loyalty, consumer trust, and the company’s overall reputation.

“Businesses risk consumer disappointment and losing customers if buyers notice the smaller packages and understand that they are getting less product but paying the same price that they paid for the larger amount,” Investopedia explains.

“When raw materials or labor become more expensive, manufacturing costs rise. Consequently, this weighs on profit margins; the percentage of revenue remaining after all costs.”

“Management can either sit back and hope investors do not become too despondent, or seek to find other ways to recoup some of these losses. For companies lacking strong pricing power, reducing the weight, volume, or quantity of products sometimes represents the best option to maintain a healthy profit without jeopardizing sales volumes.”

If you want to be more aware of these unethical business practices as a consumer, you should pay more attention to product packaging redesigns. Specifically, check the net weight of the product or the number of units included in the packaging. Then, compare those numbers to what you used to get for the same (or lower) price before the packaging redesign.

The reality is that even though we, as consumers, often feel powerless, we in fact hold a lot of power. When we vote with our wallets and (very loudly) call companies out for unethical behavior, we drive change.

Incrementally, sure, but that change does happen. Like it or not, businesses can’t survive without us. And corporations do pay attention to shifting shopping trends and changes in values, when there’s a critical mass of consumers behaving differently.

What are the most blatant, horrifying, and egregious examples of shrinkflation that you have personally spotted in your local supermarkets and stores, Pandas?

What products and tasty treats do you no longer buy as often or at all anymore because of how expensive they have gotten? On the flip side, what are some small treats that you still get from time to time, no matter the price increases?

We think this is an important topic, and we genuinely want to hear your experiences. Join the discussion and share yours in the comments at the very bottom of this list.

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