“Shrinkflation”: soon posters in supermarkets to indicate products that are reducing their quantities without adjusting their prices

The "cheapflation" in the government's sights

As a reminder, the "shrinkflation" – from the English verb "to shrink", consists, for manufacturers of consumer products, agro-industrials or distributors, of reducing the quantities of products sold rather than increasing – too much – prices significantly, in a context where food prices have already increased by 20% in two years.

Bulk or prepackaged foodstuffs whose quantity may vary during preparation, such as those in the deli section of supermarkets, will not be affected by this measure, warned the ministry.

The NGO Foodwatch, which helped reveal the practice of "shrinkflation" in France, welcomed this Friday the government’decree, praising "a signal strongly sent to manufacturers: opaque and abusive practices no longer work, people have had enough."

Soon the responsibility of industrialists ?

Supermarkets regret that responsibility for consumer information falls to them. "It’is up to the manufacturer of the information to be provided to them. write on its packaging", reacted Friday the representative of the supermarket leader E.Leclerc, Michel-Edouard Leclerc.

Olivia Grégoire affirms that this is, in the long term, the project, and assures that she wishes to bring this obligation of information for industrialists to the European level. rsquo;opportunity for a "revision of the rules for consumer information on foodstuffs in Europe in 2025."

The delegate minister also intends to take advantage of this European review to take measures against "cheapflation", this& ;nbsp;another industrial practice which consists of reducing ingredients, removing them or replacing them with cheaper or lower quality substitutes, without reducing the price.

Foodwatch recently highlighted three everyday consumer products whose price has increased by almost 25% while their quality has deteriorated. Among these products, the association warned consumers against the cordon-bleu brand Le Gaulois, which has reduced the quantity of chicken and emmental in its recipe in favor of breadcrumbs, less expensive, or the industrial company Fleury Michon, which had increased the proportion of ham in its frying mince from 48% to 35%.

"It’It’s because the agri-food sector lacks transparency and is not governed by sufficiently clear rules that these shenanigans are possible& quot;, Audrey Morice, campaigns manager at Foodwatch, was irritated.