“Where’s the Cheese?”: Johannesburg Man Crashes Out Over Shrinkflation After R90 Lasagna Purchase

• A Johannesburg man shared a video complaining about a premade lasagna he bought that cost R90
• The TikToker said he could literally count the strands of cheese on the lasagna
• South Africans agreed that shrinkflation is getting worse, with some suggesting he buy from other stores
• Briefly News spoke to financial expert Mohammed Areff on how to deal with shrinkflation

Joburg-based TikToker @brendenr22 posted a video on 15 November 2025, complaining about a product he bought for R90. The man captioned his post:

"Enough is enough - It's time we start asking questions South Africa🫥💸"

In the video, he was in his kitchen at home and called out quality control guards to step forward. The man showed a brand-new premade lasagna, saying the packaging from the store had changed. He removed the packaging and asked: "What is this?"

He joked that the next special for these premade meals should be to sell them with a packet of cheese attached to it separately, because what he was showing had barely any cheese. The TikToker questioned how they were still asking R90 for this meal, saying it's just gotten worse and worse over the last couple of months. He said he could count the strands of cheese on the lasagna.

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The man read what the lasagna was meant to be: Italian-inspired beef lasagna with fresh pasta layered with beef bolognese, cream bechamel sauce and cheddar cheese.

He asked:

"Where's the cheddar cheese? Where is the cheddar cheese?" He mentioned that there was more bechamel and pasta than beef bolognese and cheese.

The TikToker told the store to get its act together because its shrinkflation is getting worse and worse. He said he used to defend them, but lately, they've been testing him.

He ended by telling people to take a screenshot, count the strands of cheese, and take it to the quality control department.

Speaking to Briefly News writer Nerissa Naidoo, financial expert Mohammed Areff explained how to work around shrinkflation:

"The best thing to do is to shop more consciously and compare value rather than price alone. Consumers should check unit prices, compare grams or litres instead of packaging size, and be open to switching brands or buying in bulk where possible. Planning meals, avoiding impulse buys, and sticking to a shopping list can also help households protect their budgets and avoid paying more for less."

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Watch the TikTok video below:

SA agrees about shrinkflation

Social media users agreed with the TikToker @brendenr22's rant:

@Jo Barnard suggested:

"Buy at Checkers like the rest of us, can cook a whole meal for R90 😅"

@Cee_Dee_ agreed:

"A lot of goods at Woolies have shrunk due to 'shrinkflation' …"

@az complained:

"And what happened to Woolies' dash delivery fees? from R35 to R45😒 It's ridiculous."

@Shenay|Lifestyle Creator said:

"The pies, can we talk about the pies 😭It's no longer the same."

@The General 💚SNPR💚 🇿🇦 wrote:

"I see your lasagna and raise you mine..."

@JLo stated:

"We need to be able to buy direct from the farmers, milk, cheese, eggs, herbs, meat, fruit, etc."

@Leo♓ added:

"And their fresh cream cakes that sit in the fridge... The amount of fresh cream has reduced to like 5 tablespoons in a whole cake."

@paisely laurent said:

"Over-priced. Under-Valued. Tastes boring."

@maritaz123 shared:

"A fairly decent pie at Shoprite is R9.95. I'll stick by my pie..."

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More people in SA discussing food

• Briefly News recently reported on a video exposing multiple examples of shrinkflation at a local grocery store.
• A local woman cooked mogodu entirely in an air fryer, leaving Mzansi stunned by the well-cooked result.
• A massive grocery haul post from a small savings club went viral, with a stokvel that ran for 10 months.

Source: Briefly News