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Incredible shrinking food.

Bannedjoe

Well-known member
And the shit continues.

Product sizes keep getting smaller and smaller.
I understand the concept of downsizing products in order to not raise prices, but come on.
We all realize that prices need to go up occasionally, but when food gets downsized to the point that it almost becomes unusable, it's rediculous.

I love those premade just fry 'em up hashbrown square patty things.

The wife brought home a box, and I swear they cut the size by a third.
So now instead of frying up one, I need to fry up at least two.

You used to be able to shake and bake almost a whole chicken with one pkg of the seasoning.
Now you buy a box containing four packets, and it takes at least two if not 3 to do a whole chicken.

I told the wife to bring home stuff to make tacos.

I opened the shells, and out came a package of shells that were remarkably small.
I mean the box was big, but the shells were so small, that all you could get in them was about a tablespoon of meat, a sprinkle of cheese, and then there was no room for left for lettuce or tomatoes.

Next time I guess I'll just make make my own, but sheesh, this is dumb.
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
And the shit continues.

Product sizes keep getting smaller and smaller.
I understand the concept of downsizing products in order to not raise prices, but come on.
We all realize that prices need to go up occasionally, but when food gets downsized to the point that it almost becomes unusable, it's rediculous.

I love those premade just fry 'em up hashbrown square patty things.

The wife brought home a box, and I swear they cut the size by a third.
So now instead of frying up one, I need to fry up at least two.

You used to be able to shake and bake almost a whole chicken with one pkg of the seasoning.
Now you buy a box containing four packets, and it takes at least two if not 3 to do a whole chicken.

I told the wife to bring home stuff to make tacos.

I opened the shells, and out came a package of shells that were remarkably small.
I mean the box was big, but the shells were so small, that all you could get in them was about a tablespoon of meat, a sprinkle of cheese, and then there was no room for left for lettuce or tomatoes.

Next time I guess I'll just make make my own, but sheesh, this is dumb.

Been happening for years. A one pound can of coffee has shrunk an ounce every few years and is down to 11 or even 10 ounces for some brands :(
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Three pound coffee can is the same but it now varies from 22 ounces to 28.
Pasta varies even today. 12 ounces to 16 ounces in the same size box.
Candy bars, in the same wrapper, have varied for decades
Seems ridiculous, if not fraudulent.

From my experience as a retail grocer employee, and as a food processor, here is what I believe to be why.

Real estate,,,; ie Shelf space. Brands are given only so much space on the shelf. When downsizing , if they make the box/package smaller, they may well lose that space. Yet they have to reduce costs when raw materials/labor increases. Candy bars suffer when the cost of their main ingredient, sugar, varies. Also, the tooling for the packaging line for say, pasta or breakfast cereals, would have to be constantly changed if the size of the container varies. Therefore they stay with the same size box. Because it involves more than just the stuff inside the containers.


Finally, they really do not want the consumer to notice. So, the packaging remains the same except for the printed volume amount. No added tooling and changeover costs. And they keep their precious turf on the shelf.
 

Bannedjoe

Well-known member
Three pound coffee can is the same but it now varies from 22ounces to 28. ridiculous.

Pasta varies even today. 12 ounces to 1 6 ounces in the same size box.
Candy bars, in the same wrapper, have varied for decades

From my experience as a retail grocer employee, and as a food processor, here is what I believe to be why.

Real estate,,,; ie Shelf space. Brands are given only so much space on the shelf. When downsizing , if they make the box/package smaller, they may well lose that space. Yet they have to reduce costs when raw materials/labor increases. Candy bars suffer when the cost of their main ingredient, sugar, varies. Also, the tooling for the packaging line for say, pasta or breakfast cereals, would have to be constantly changed if the size of the container varies. Therefore they stay with the same size box.


Finally, they really do not want the consumer to notice. So, the packaging remains the same except for the printed volume amount. And they keep their precious turf on the shelf.

Candy bars.
Don't get me started on "Fun" sizes.
They aren't fun, and piss me off!
:laugh3:

I have a friend who was in the vending machine business all his life. He just retired.
He can go on and on for hours about the shit they've done with candy bars.
Not only that, but the flack and reactions he got from his customers like it was something he personally did to everybody.
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I’m pleasantly surprised.

Folgers has only shrunk to 11.3 ounces. :th_lmao:
 

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Bannedjoe

Well-known member
Remember some years back there was a mini food craze.
Mini donuts, mini burgers...
There was some sort of fascination with miniaturized food.
I think it was possibly the stupidest craze ever.

It all reminds me of when I was a kid and once went shopping by myself.
I was in the frozen section and saw a Mexican style TV dinner.
It said it had like 3 tacos, 3 burritos, an enchilada, rice, refried beans...
A literal Mexican buffet!!!!!
Amazing they could put all that in that TV dinner sized box.

My disappointment was overwhelming when I needed a magnifying glass to find it all.:unsure:
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
Remember some years back there was a mini food craze.
Mini donuts, mini burgers...
There was some sort of fascination with miniaturized food.
I think it was possibly the stupidest craze ever.

It all reminds me of when I was a kid and once went shopping by myself.
I was in the frozen section and saw a Mexican style TV dinner.
It said it had like 3 tacos, 3 burritos, an enchilada, rice, refried beans...
A literal Mexican buffet!!!!!
Amazing they could put all that in that TV dinner sized box.

My disappointment was overwhelming when I needed a magnifying glass to find it all.:unsure:

thank god I have a senior apatite now cause the new hungry man dinners would have only been a snack as a teenager. I don't drink a lot of pop but when I do those little mini cans are just right too bad they cost so much
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know if it has so much to do with pricing and packaging as it has to do with profits.

I always remember an interview given by the CEO of one of the large tobacco corporations. He was asked what was the one thing he would like to do to make the company more profitable. He said that he would cut 1mm off the length of every cigarette, keep the price the same, collect his bonus at the end of the year and retire.

In other words he would have people paying the same for less as most wouldn't notice the difference. Therefore he would be making more cigs for the same amount of tobacco, his incentive bonuses would skyrocket and he'd take his money and run before there was any fallout.

It seems that the same principle is being used here, just an ounce less here and an ounce less there, keep the price the same and profits go up.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know if it has so much to do with pricing and packaging as it has to do with profits.

I always remember an interview given by the CEO of one of the large tobacco corporations. He was asked what was the one thing he would like to do to make the company more profitable. He said that he would cut 1mm off the length of every cigarette, keep the price the same, collect his bonus at the end of the year and retire.

In other words he would have people paying the same for less as most wouldn't notice the difference. Therefore he would be making more cigs for the same amount of tobacco, his incentive bonuses would skyrocket and he'd take his money and run before there was any fallout.

It seems that the same principle is being used here, just an ounce less here and an ounce less there, keep the price the same and profits go up.

Of course it has to do with profits. But not necessarily increasing profits as much as maintaining them. Profit is why companies operate their businesses. Surprised???


It's why most folks go to work for a paycheck that, hopefully is more then the cost of getting to work to do the job. If the cost of living, and the cost of going to work exceeds the income, something in the lifestyle equation must shrink.


For the record, I'm not excusing this practice, just explaining it.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Of course it has to do with profits. But not necessarily increasing profits as much as maintaining them. Profit is why companies operate their businesses. Surprised???

For the record, I'm not excusing this practice, just explaining it.

Nope, not surprised at all and no need to explain it. I fully understand that making a profit is what makes the whole system work.

At the end of the day it always comes back to what is a "fair profit" and what is price gouging and extortion. Where do you draw the line? I'm not going to get in to that as I don't think that there is a reasonable answer.

These CEOs get their bonuses and stock options based on increasing profits, not maintaining them. Maintaining profitability means that they will probably keep their job if it is in line with the rest of their sector. Decreasing profitability means the "golden handshake" and you're out the door.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Nope, not surprised at all and no need to explain it. I fully understand that making a profit is what makes the whole system work.

At the end of the day it always comes back to what is a "fair profit" and what is price gouging and extortion. Where do you draw the line? I'm not going to get in to that as I don't think that there is a reasonable answer.

These CEOs get their bonuses and stock options based on increasing profits, not maintaining them. Maintaining profitability means that they will probably keep their job if it is in line with the rest of their sector. Decreasing profitability means the "golden handshake" and you're out the door.

I don't draw the line. The consumer does.

Either we have open free enterprise with all it's warts, or we have gubmit control with all it's corruption. I cannot advocate the former and then make exceptions of my government's choices.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Either we have open free enterprise with all it's warts, or we have gubmit control with all it's corruption. I cannot advocate the former and then make exceptions of my government's choices.

That would be my choice too and it's one of the reasons that I am in this country.
 

Bannedjoe

Well-known member
Frozen pizzas.
Big box.
Pizza itself can fit in the palm of my hand.
:yum:

Oh hell.
That reminds me of a frozen pizza I once bought.
Can't recall the brand name.

It had the small window in the center of the box, and through it, it looked like a pretty good pie.
When I got it home to cook it, there was only enough ingredients on the crust to fill the window.
The rest of the pizza was empty.
 

waybomb

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
How many non-pints make up a non-half-gallon of ice cream? I am so confused.
 

mla2ofus

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
What I can't understand is all these companies downsize their paper and plastic containers and all the antiplastic and antipaper zealots don't say a word about it taking more of either to package the products. I guess because neither wind up as litter as often as straws or bags, they go to the landfills.
Mike
 
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