“Companies Keep Reducing the Size”: Woman Shows ‘Shrinkflation’ Examples in South Africa

• A South African woman showed local shoppers how 'shrinkflation' is affecting certain food products
• The woman gave six examples, with one of them being how Cadbury's slabs were reduced from 100g to 80g
• Some online commentators took to the comment section in surprise, while others listed differences in more items

While strolling through the aisles at Checkers, a woman showed South Africans how brands shaved off a few grams and millilitres from their products, calling it 'shrinkflation.'

The woman named Nomcebo took to her TikTok account to share several products that underwent 'shrinkflation' and noted how people remembered them.

She wrote in her post:

"Companies keep reducing the size or quantity of their products, yet keep increasing prices!"

Here are the items Nomcebo spotted:

• Cadbury's slabs went from 100g to 80g.
• Coca-Cola bottles went from 500ml to 440ml.
• Coca-Cola cans went from 330ml to 300ml.
• Country Fresh's ice cream tubs went from 2l to 1.8l.
• Magnum Minis went from six to five per box.
• McCain's peas went from 1kg to 750g.

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South African shoppers react to the 'shrinkflation'

Thousands of local social media users gathered in the comment section to express their thoughts about the companies reducing the quantities of their products. Others also provided examples of more items in which they saw a drastic change.

@starfish_456 shared their opinion with people on the internet:

"Quality has also deteriorated! Staples like Handy Andy and Sunlight no longer work like they used to."

@gnuversal wrote in the comments:

"Cars no longer have a spare wheel, phones no longer come with that 2-pin charger block, memory card or earphones."

@vanessamabaso441 tried to recall information about a favourite snack, writing:

"Don't forget Choice Assorted biscuits. I swear that inside the box there used to be four packets, now there's only two."

@tricia_s.a asked South Africans:

"Does anyone remember how big the original 2l cold drink bottles were? They reduced them to the skinny ones we have now."

A frustrated @veestevens16 added in the comment section:

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"And it messes with my baking because my old recipe says one can of condensed milk, but now the can is smaller. It's turning me into a mathematician."

@vojaslow had a feeling why things were reduced and stated their opinion under the post:

"I think it’s because of the sugar tax. Instead of increasing the price, they reduce quantity or sometimes quality."

Take a look at the examples in the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories about the costs of living

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a TikTok video comparing prices of products from the 1980s to now highlighted drastic changes in everyday essentials. It also served as a reminder of the long-term effects of inflation.
• A woman took to social media to vent about the high cost of living in South Africa, expressing sympathy for the average South African experiencing the economy.
• Many frustrated South Africans shared that R100 barely covered basic necessities, as its value significantly decreased. Some people noted it could only buy them essential items, such as a loaf of bread and milk.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News