Consumer watchdog CHOICE has uncovered five products from Woolworths, ALDI and Lindt set to be popular this Christmas that have decreased in size while their prices have increased or stayed the same.
This festive season, chocolates, cakes, and tarts from big brands are among the latest items to shrink in size but increase in price, says CHOICE journalist Liam Kennedy.
“This is the last thing people want when they set out to stock their pantries for Christmas, particularly during a cost of living crisis,” he said.
CHOICE’s latest round of nationally representative research found Australians are already struggling with the cost of food and groceries, with 87% of households worried about how much they are spending at the supermarket.
Shrinkflation victims
The five festive foods hit by shrinkflation are:
Woolworths Salted Caramel Tarts – was $7.50 for 210g, now $8 for 180g
Woolworths Rocky Road Tarts– was $7.50 for 240g, now $8 for 180g
“Rocky road fans are now paying 42% more per 100g for the tarts than they did last year,” Mr Kennedy said. “Woolworths says the shift to lighter tarts was primarily driven by customer feedback requesting a finer, crispier shell, and that the price increase was due to rising production costs.”
Lindt Christmas Medley Bag – was $36 for 414g, now $36 for 390g
Lindt Limited Edition Champagne Gala Box – was $34 for 433g, now $34 for 396g
ALDI Kringle & Co Iced Christmas cake – was $2.29 for 100g, now $2.39 for 90g
“When we reached out to ALDI, it said it understands the move will be unpopular, but didn’t explain why the size of the cake had been reduced,” Mr Kennedy said.
Call for shrinkflation awareness
CHOICE welcomes the government’s plan to combat shrinkflation with the changes to the Unit Pricing Code it proposed in October, but is calling for further action to ensure consumers are aware of products affected by shrinkflation.
“Many supporters have shared with us their frustration around the ongoing presence of shrinkflation in supermarkets,” Mr Kennedy said.
“Consumers deserve better visibility when a product has shrunk in size, but its price has stayed the same or increased. Placing labels on shelves to notify people when this happens would help everyone make better-informed decisions while shopping.”