Customers don’t like price increases, so many manufacturers prefer to save on the content. It comes down to the same thing, but it’s not as obvious. The Hamburg consumer advice center takes a close look and regularly chooses the “deceptive package of the month”.
Popsicles have become more expensive: If you choose well-known brands in the freezer section, you get significantly less for your money. Packs of four became packs of three, packs of six became packs of five, and some of the individual ice creams have also become even smaller. With the same sales price for the pack, this results in hidden price increases of 20 percent (Mars, Nogger), 48 percent (Milka, Daim) or even 63 percent (Oreo), reports the . In their statements, the manufacturers Froneri Schöller, Unilever (Langnese) and Mars refer to increased costs for energy and raw materials and to the fact that retail ultimately determines the price.
Illustrious series of deceptive packages
The Hamburg consumer advice center has already denounced many well-known manufacturers as deceptive packaging of the month. The chocolate Santa Claus and the smiling bunny from Milka were among them, as well as the pasta sauce Miracoli or muesli from Dr. Oetker. Milka manufacturer Mondelez also criticized consumer advocates for moving away from the 100 gram standard size to 93, 87 or 81 gram bars and shrinking some 300 gram bulk packs to 270 or 280 grams.
Once a year, the consumer center has five candidates vote on the deceptive package of the year. For the year 2022, that became . Our photo series shows other deceptive packages from the past few months.
++Here you will find deceptive packs from the industry that are still on the supermarket shelves++
Source: Stern
