Customers are used to the fact that the design of their favorite products changes from time to time. But manufacturers are increasingly taking advantage of this – and creating deceptive packaging. The Hamburg Consumer Advice Center takes a close look and regularly selects the “deceptive packaging of the month”. It selects the most blatant of the hidden price increases.
The criticism from consumer advocates is not usually that something is getting more expensive. After all, there is inflation. The point is that manufacturers do not communicate this honestly, but rather conceal it through clever packaging and pricing design. In the end, the customers pay for it.
Sometimes the packaging stays the same size but is filled to a lesser extent. Sometimes the packaging is changed so that it looks the same but less can fit in. Sometimes it is made to seem as though a product has retained or gained a special quality, which it does not have on closer inspection.
In the wake of rising inflation since 2022, the term “shrinkflation” has been established for the phenomenon – a portmanteau of the English words “shrink” and “inflation”.
Illustrious series of deceptive packaging
The Hamburg Consumer Advice Center has already denounced products from many well-known manufacturers: Among them were the “Trinkgenuss Orange” from Granini, the “Erdnusslocken” from Lorenz and the “Schmunzelhase” from Milka, as well as margarine from Rama, water softener from Calgon and hand cream from Nivea.
Once a year, the consumer advice center lets people vote for the deceptive packaging of the year among five candidates. For 2023, Tuc Bake Rolls from Mondelez was chosen as the most brazen product. Our photo gallery shows other deceptive packaging from previous years.
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Source: Stern
