Food Containers Getting Smaller, But Prices Are Rising
2022-06-12
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1In the United States, India, Britain and Japan, people are starting to see smaller containers and higher prices for food.
2The cost increases are affecting snack food, cheese, drinks, soaps and more.
3Economic experts say the changes in package sizes are a result of inflation. They call it "shrinkflation."
4In the U.S., a popular kind of facial paper once had 65 sheets in each box, now it has 60.
5A container of yogurt that once had 150 grams now has about 125 grams.
6In Britain, a kind of coffee once had 100 grams in each package.
7It now has 90 grams. In India, a kind of soap is smaller by 20 grams.
8In some cases, people who buy these products are getting less for the same price.
9Some are seeing higher prices for smaller packages.
10Experts say the move by food companies is not new, but it is common in times of inflation.
11Around the world, people paid on average seven percent more for goods in May than they did the year before.
12A company that researches prices, S&P Global, said people should expect the inflation rate to stay the same at least until September.
13Edgar Dworsky is a former lawyer for the American state of Massachusetts.
14He runs a website called Consumer World.
15He noted that price increases and smaller packaging "comes in waves."
16He added, "We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment."
17Dworsky said he started seeing smaller food containers last autumn.
18He notes coffee containers have less coffee and bathroom paper has fewer sheets.
19Many companies that make these goods create smaller packages but also change the words on them to make them seem new or better, Dworsky said.
20One kind of corn snack made by PepsiCo is called Fritos.
21They recently had a "party size" bag that contained about 510 grams.
22New packages are still called "party size," but now they only have 439 grams.
23PepsiCo did not answer questions about the new size when asked by the Associated Press.
24But the company did say the bottles for a drink called Gatorade were made smaller so people could hold them more easily, not because of inflation.
25Large consumer goods companies Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble also did not answer questions.
26But in Japan, the company that makes snacks called Calbee said the cost of materials was responsible for a price increase of 10 percent and a size decrease of 10 percent.
27Calbee makes soy and vegetable snacks.
28In India, Dabur India has been open about its changes.
29Byas Anand is head of communications for the company.
30He called the price increases and size decreases "down-switching."
31People around the world have been noticing "shrinkflation."
32They have taken photos and shown examples of it on social media.
33Many people say they are changing the way they buy food.
34Alex Aspacher in the American state of Ohio is saving money by buying larger amounts of cheese and cutting it himself instead of buying cut cheese.
35He said he has been surprised by how quickly the changes have happened.
36"I was prepared for it to a degree," he said, but "there hasn't been a limit to it so far."
37Experts say prices may go down, but it is not likely packages will get larger.
38"Upsizing is kind of rare," Dworsky said.
39In some cases, experts say, costs for food manufacturers are going up and they need to pass that on to buyers.
40But some companies might just be seeking higher profits.
41Hitendra Chaturvedi is a business professor at Arizona State University.
42He said he knows some companies are having trouble finding workers and paying higher costs.
43But he noted that PepsiCo's profits rose 128 percent in the first three months of 2022.
44"I'm not saying they're profiteering, but it smells like it," he said.
45Profiteering means selling things at very high prices at a time when they are hard to find.
46Chaturvedi questioned: "Are we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?"
47I'm Dan Friedell.
1In the United States, India, Britain and Japan, people are starting to see smaller containers and higher prices for food. 2The cost increases are affecting snack food, cheese, drinks, soaps and more. 3Economic experts say the changes in package sizes are a result of inflation. They call it "shrinkflation." 4In the U.S., a popular kind of facial paper once had 65 sheets in each box, now it has 60. A container of yogurt that once had 150 grams now has about 125 grams. In Britain, a kind of coffee once had 100 grams in each package. It now has 90 grams. In India, a kind of soap is smaller by 20 grams. 5In some cases, people who buy these products are getting less for the same price. Some are seeing higher prices for smaller packages. Experts say the move by food companies is not new, but it is common in times of inflation. 6Around the world, people paid on average seven percent more for goods in May than they did the year before. A company that researches prices, S&P Global, said people should expect the inflation rate to stay the same at least until September. 7Edgar Dworsky is a former lawyer for the American state of Massachusetts. He runs a website called Consumer World. He noted that price increases and smaller packaging "comes in waves." He added, "We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment." 8Dworsky said he started seeing smaller food containers last autumn. He notes coffee containers have less coffee and bathroom paper has fewer sheets. 9Many companies that make these goods create smaller packages but also change the words on them to make them seem new or better, Dworsky said. 10One kind of corn snack made by PepsiCo is called Fritos. They recently had a "party size" bag that contained about 510 grams. New packages are still called "party size," but now they only have 439 grams. PepsiCo did not answer questions about the new size when asked by the Associated Press. But the company did say the bottles for a drink called Gatorade were made smaller so people could hold them more easily, not because of inflation. 11Large consumer goods companies Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble also did not answer questions. 12But in Japan, the company that makes snacks called Calbee said the cost of materials was responsible for a price increase of 10 percent and a size decrease of 10 percent. Calbee makes soy and vegetable snacks. 13In India, Dabur India has been open about its changes. Byas Anand is head of communications for the company. He called the price increases and size decreases "down-switching." 14People around the world have been noticing "shrinkflation." They have taken photos and shown examples of it on social media. 15Many people say they are changing the way they buy food. Alex Aspacher in the American state of Ohio is saving money by buying larger amounts of cheese and cutting it himself instead of buying cut cheese. 16He said he has been surprised by how quickly the changes have happened. 17"I was prepared for it to a degree," he said, but "there hasn't been a limit to it so far." 18Experts say prices may go down, but it is not likely packages will get larger. 19"Upsizing is kind of rare," Dworsky said. 20In some cases, experts say, costs for food manufacturers are going up and they need to pass that on to buyers. But some companies might just be seeking higher profits. 21Hitendra Chaturvedi is a business professor at Arizona State University. 22He said he knows some companies are having trouble finding workers and paying higher costs. But he noted that PepsiCo's profits rose 128 percent in the first three months of 2022. 23"I'm not saying they're profiteering, but it smells like it," he said. 24Profiteering means selling things at very high prices at a time when they are hard to find. 25Chaturvedi questioned: "Are we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?" 26I'm Dan Friedell. 27Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 28Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 29Words in This Story 30package- n. a box, bag or other container for food or other products 31snack - adj. a small amount of food eaten between meals 32sheet - n. a piece of paper or cloth 33tidal wave- n. a very large amount of something 34consumer -n. a person who pays for goods or services 35to a degree- phrase to a certain level 36constraint- n. something that restricts or limits