article_snippet.sent: The move is the latest evidence of how the nation’s favourite brands and supermarkets are cutting back on pack sizes without a corresponding cut in prices.
article_snippet.sent: In most cases, the price remains the same when the amount in the pack is cut, however in some rare examples the change comes with a price rise.
article_snippet.sent: ’s said the changes did reduce the wholesale price of the packs to supermarkets to reflect the lower weight, but the changes had no say over whether this was passed this on to customers.
article_snippet.sent: When challenged, the manufacturer, Nestle, claimed this was partly because of rising costs and partly because of this desire to help customers lose weight as this contribution to the Government’s anti-obesity campaign.
article_snippet.sent: Cadbury has something of a track record for shrinking packs in a move that protects Cadbury profits.
article_snippet.sent: Which? recently highlighted a number of big brands that have been shrunk, such loaves of Hovis
article_snippet.sent: ‘Shrinking products can be a sneaky way of putting up costs for consumers because pack sizes shrink but the prices don’t.
article_snippet.sent: The Food and Drink Federation said: ‘Food and drink pricing always reflects the economic climate of the day, whether that’s the impact of changing utility prices or ingredient costs which can be volatile.
article_snippet.sent: Businesses seek to offset these costs wherever possible through improvements in efficiency and productivity, but these actions can only go so far and in some cases companies will reduce the pack size rather than increasing the price for consumers.