It’s a commercial practice with a barbaric name, Shrinkflation, which makes consumers jump. Any manufacturer or distributor brand can reduce the packaging of a product without reducing its price. Or even better, reduce the quantity of the product while selling it more expensively. And all this in perfect legality to allow the food industry to fight against galloping inflation and preserve its margins at the expense of the consumer.
Élisabeth Borne, then Prime Minister, promised to ban it, deeming the process “shocking”. Today, the government has decided to regulate it, which is the least it can do given the cynicism of the situation.
It is specified in the Official Journal that from July 1, supermarkets of more than 400 m2 will have to install visible and readable notices warning of this practice on or near the products concerned. Clearly, it will be necessary to display the reduction in content when the packaging is the same to prevent the consumer from being fooled. Labels which will undoubtedly have a deterrent effect, provided that the big brands play the game, under penalty of being exposed to a fine.
But that will in no way solve food insecurity in France, a scourge which affects more and more families. It’s just a first step towards more transparency which should not make us forget the essentials. The only price that matters is the unit price, per liter or per kilo, the only standard value to get a precise idea, on the shelves of our favorite supermarkets.
