Pack less, but don’t lower the price. This is called contraction inflation. TV program viewers Radar were allowed to vote which manufacturer made the most fur. The winner of the ‘Who has the smallest?’ became Whiskas 7+. The price of this cat food secretly rose by no less than 44 percent.
The phenomenon has been around for much longer, but it fell consumer program Radar note that it has been happening very often lately: contraction inflation. Manufacturers put less in the packaging, but keep the price about the same or even raise it. Radar decided to call on viewers to name products that have been guilty of this. The examples poured in.
Radar nominated ten brands for the ‘Who has the smallest’ trophy, after which the public could vote for the most vexing example last week. That dubious honor goes to Whiskas 7+. The twelve cans of Whiskas 7+ first had a content of 100 grams and once sold for 4.49 euros, but suddenly the weight of the twelve cans is only 85 grams and consumers have to pay an amount of 5.49 euros. pay: an increase of 44 percent.
View all the increases of the products that were nominated below. The story then continues
Roel Govers, head of Corporate Affairs at Mars Netherlands, which produces the cat food, just received the ‘Who has the smallest’ trophy from Antoinette Hertsenberg. In a first reaction he says: ,,Research by Whiskas showed that those portions had to be reduced to prevent cats from overeating and becoming too fat. We have been working on that for years, and it now coincides with that price increase. And that gives – I admit immediately – a typical picture.”
The Radarpresenter thinks Whiskas is a justified winner because the content has been adjusted without communicating about it. “Per gram of the product is now paid 44 percent extra, it seems to me that you should be very clear about this to the consumer.”
Annoyance
Other manufacturers also made it quite colorful. One of the other nominees was Albert Heijn’s tulip bushes. The price went from two bunches of nine tulips for 5 euros to two bunches of eight tulips for 5 euros, an increase of 13 percent. The Verkade San Francisco was also in the race. That initially had a content of 300 grams for 1.99 euros at Albert Heijn, but later went to 230 grams for 1.95 euros; a price increase of 28 percent.
The Hema coffee pods were also nominated. First there were 46 pads in a bag for 3 euros, then the number went to 40 pads for an amount of 3.75 euros, which amounts to a price increase of 44 percent. The Harlekijntjes could also do something about it, to the chagrin of many Dutch people. The liquorice went from 550 grams for 2.55 euros to 300 grams for 1.99 euros. That was 43 percent more expensive.
Maaslander aged 50+ also participated. The cheese went from 200 grams for 3.59 euros to 150 grams for 2.99 euros, a price increase of 11 percent. Garlic sauce Bieze caught the eye: the sauce went from 250 grams for 0.75 euros to 170 grams for 1.49 euros.
Compared to this, the Lay’s Paprika Chips were not too bad. It went from 335 grams for 2.19 euros to 300 grams for 2.65 euros: ‘only’ 35 percent up. Custard Koopmans went from 400 grams for 0.89 euros to 300 grams for 0.95 euros, an increase of 42 percent. And finally, Karvan Cevitam was also one of the nominees. A bottle of lemonade syrup went from 750 ml for 3.49 euros to 600 ml for 3.69 euros, an increase of 32 percent.
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