We asked IL readers for their views on the changes in food packaging sizes.
Iltalehti readers told us their own observations about which products the package size has decreased, but the price of the product has remained the same – or even increased.
– I have noticed this in many products. It’s been funny when it often says in big letters on the package if the package size has been increased. For example, +10% more for the same price. But I haven’t seen similar clearly visible packaging markings stating: “Now -15% less at the same price”. After all, it would be fair to inform the customer about the reduced packaging size as clearly as in the opposite action, reflects the name brand Väsynyt of rising prices.
The reduced packaging sizes of food products aroused critical comments from readers. One of the respondents wrote: “This is how we are being cheated”.
Many of the respondents had noticed a change in meat products.
– This has been noticed in several products. Cutlets are one of the biggest groups where this can be seen, as well as pre-sliced cheeses, writes Antti.
– Ham strips from all manufacturers used to be 400 g, now they are 250 or 320 g. It’s extremely annoying when you buy some raw material for cooking, which used to weigh 400 g, only to find out at home that the package has actually shrunk. The food doesn’t taste the same as before, complains Kotikokki.
Many of the respondents had made the same observation that HK Aitonakki has decreased from the previous 420 grams to 360 grams.
– The HK jewelry packaging has become smaller, writes the brand name Ewlyn.
– There used to be 12 pieces of HK’s Aitonaki, now only ten, says the Taruz name brand.
Marketing director of HKScan Finland Mikko Järvinen tells Iltalehti in his email reply that the change in packaging size is a significant change in the product, so they are done very carefully.
Their planning schedule is long, because, for example, the packaging has to be renewed and printed with changed information.
– As an example of this kind of packaging size development, we can take HK Aitonakki, which was previously sold in bulk at service counters, then as a so-called variable weight package of more than 500 g, in the beginning of the 2000s the product was changed to a standard weight of 500 g, in 2014 the package size was changed to 420 g and in autumn 2022 the product changed to 360 grams, Järvinen writes.
Regarding the price level, Järvinen states in general that the prices of practically all foodstuffs have risen exceptionally during the past year. According to the monitoring of the Grocery Association, food prices were 16.3 percent higher in October-December than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
– In the same monitoring, the price increase for meat products is about 20 percent compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. HK Aitonak’s price has risen in the same proportion during 2022.
According to Järvinen, in addition to the increase in costs, one of the reasons for the reduction in package sizes is the reduction in apartment buildings, as one and two-person apartments currently make up about 80 percent of all apartment buildings.
Readers of Iltalehti have noticed that the contents of potato chip bags have also decreased.
– Taffeli’s big chip bags used to be 325 g, now they are 305 g, the name brand Mimmi has noticed.
– In some chip bags, the amount inside the bag has decreased. Before the chips were more or less up to the top of the logo, now you can cut the bag halfway with scissors, says Sipsirohmu.
Communications Director of Orkla Finland I was Nina notes that the degree of filling and weight in potato chips can vary greatly between different products.
– We do not have a standard weight for all potato chip products. The bag size is the same, but the possible degree of filling and weight varies by product. For example, the size of the potato affects how much product can be put in the bag, Olin says.
According to him, changes have been made to the degree of filling, i.e. how much product is put in the bag, in some large bags of potato chips that have been on the market for a long time in the last ten years. It’s about 10 to 50 grams.
– The reason is partly to protect the product, because the air in the chip bag helps keep the chips intact. But also the steadily rising raw material costs and the desire to keep the price reasonable, Olin says and continues:
– However, it is good to note that we do not determine the final consumer price, it is always up to the store to decide.
The change in the minced meat, liver and lindström steaks of the Kivikylä home worship center has also not gone unnoticed by consumers.
– Kivikylä’s Lindstöm steak package was reduced to four steaks, before six. Now the new packaging is also smaller, writes Price unchanged.
– Only 4 steaks, but the price is exactly the same… this is how we are being cheated, complains a friend of Makspaifie.
– Yes, I am, for several products. The most outrageous example of this is Kivikylä’s lindström patties. Instead of the previous 6-pack, there are only 4 in the pack. That is, 33% less than before, but the price has remained the same, says Peltokuutio.
CEO of Kivikylä kotipalvaamo Jari Laihonen says on the phone that the package size of minced, liver and Lindström steaks changed in January of this year.
– The price of the package rose considerably, as the price of steaks per kilo rose by 30-35 percent during the year. So the price of the consumer package became prohibitive.
According to Laihonen, they decided to drop the number of steaks from six to four, so that the price of the package would be reasonable. The price is the same as for six steaks.
– There has been more feedback than ever before. There have been criticisms, but also just as many compliments, because in a single household, six steaks was a bit too much, Laihonen says.
He says, steak packages are sold in the same amount and a little more than before, but the consumption in kilos is lower.
According to Laihonen, there is pressure to change the packaging sizes in their other products as well, but if there is a change, a completely new product will be made.
– The consumer really notices the changes.