Deceptive Packaging Woes
The costs of many of your favorite brand name products have skyrocketed out of control, chances are, due to these clever marketing techniques, you probably haven’t even noticed.
It’s the case of the shrinking package! It sounds as though it could be a Scooby-Doo caper, but the bottom line is, you’re getting less bang for your buck. Many companies are still using the same size package but are actually putting less product within it, which may leave you wondering why the food just doesn’t seem to stretch like it used to. It isn’t your imagination!
In some instances, the switch is a bit more obvious, like this one:
* Lays Potato chips bags used to contain 16 oz, yet the same size bag now contains 12 oz
While that doesn’t seem like a big deal, the same bag that may have elicited 6 servings, now only offers 4 servings, which doesn’t last as long, and worse, causes you to purchase even more to try to make up for the difference.
Sometimes the packaging change is so clever that consumers have no idea they are getting less product than before.
Looking at a product directly, it may appear as though it’s exactly the same as it’s always been, many are not, for example, if you look at a jar of brand name peanut butter, the jar height and circumference have not changed, however, if you flip the jar up and peer at the bottom of it, you’ll note a rather deep new crater that is the equivalent of 2 ounces. It certainly looks the same sitting on the shelf, but that’s the equivalent of two fewer sandwiches per jar for the same price.
A few other examples of shrinking packaging:
- Ice cream containers have gone from a half-gallon to 1.5 quarts.
- Clorox Bleach is now 3 quarts, rather than 1 gallon.
- Scott Toilet Tissue advertises 1,000 sheets per roll & while it’s true that there are still 1,000 sheets, the sheets shrunk! They used to be 4 inches and have now been reduced to 3.7 inches.
- Ivory Dish Detergent reduced its 30 oz bottle to a bitty 24 oz bottle, “due to the rising costs of ingredients and facility expenses”. Six ounces is a full 20% difference!
- Cake mixes used to be 20 ounces, then they were reduced to 18.25 ounces. In the past couple of years, they’ve shrunk again, to just 15 ounces.
Paying For Water
This one is particularly bemusing, as it plays on our desires to provide the best product possible for our families!) Are you aware that when you purchase meats you may be paying for up to 15% of “solution”.
The label may state that it’s meant to improve flavor, or increase tenderness, but in actuality, the boost is only to benefit their bottom line. To bring this into perspective, if you’re paying $1.99 for boneless, skinless chicken that contains 15% Solution, you’re really paying $2.29 per pound of actual meat; or .29¢ per pound for water “solution” that you didn’t ask for!
Unfortunately, this practice isn’t limited to meats and poultry either it’s rampant in many products. If you look closely at the nutrition label of this product, it states that the item contains 54% Juice, which means that it’s 46% water! Seriously folks, watch your labels.
Wouldn’t you rather water down the products yourself at home and save your hard-earned cash? What you see is . . . Not necessarily what you get!
Middle Ground
Bulk packages of meats or vegetables can be great deals, but be aware of another clever tactic that is frequently used by grocery stores, packaging the best looking items on top. Generally speaking, the leaner cuts of meat are placed on top and the fattier, more wasteful cuts are placed in the middle.
While you may be thinking that you’re going to get a great deal, you might find you’re paying for pounds of fat. This tip doesn’t only apply to meats, be aware that fruits are often bagged this way, with heavily bruised fruit in the middle. These fruits are less likely to be eaten by a member of your family and may end up in the trash.
Scary Checkout Surprise – “Shelf Plus Pricing”
Here’s a little known marketing ploy that will leave you reeling, are you aware that some companies have deceptively marketed products for sale at one price and then placed a little line of text underneath the price stating “Plus 10% at checkout”?
This is an ACTUAL Ad from Food Depot that states that the price will be marked up 10% at checkout. So here you think you’re getting a great deal on Chitterlings for $5.48 when in reality you’ll be shelling out $6.02 at the register!
Unfortunately, these marketing ploys are not uncommon; they’re in products we, as consumers, see and use every single day. The average consumer is just not aware of these ever-growing deceptive practices.
The companies marketing these products have come up with some rather ingenious excuses for the clever packaging maneuvers, it started with the companies’ marketing dish detergents; they made claims that the product packaging was reduced to protect the environment.
They claim that they’re injecting our food with broth or solutions to make it more tender or flavorful, when in truth, it’s done to enhance their bottom line, to increase profits.
How does this affect you?
In 2009, a study presented to congress by the President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) confirmed that 30% of all packaged foods in America have downsized package contents.
It affects you on several levels:
Recipes calling for a can of this or a package that no longer comes out correctly. Have you ever wondered why grandmas recipe just doesn’t take like grandma used to make it? If the original size package was 16 oz and now is only 12oz, you’re missing 1/4 of the package to add to your recipe!
To add insult to injury, oftentimes people will open additional cans or packages to add the “missing” ounces to the recipe. You’re paying the same price (or higher) for less product.
The food doesn’t last as long (because there is less of it) and you spend even more money trying to keep up.
