Cost of living: Consumers hit by new wave of 'shrinkflation'

Shoppers already struggling with the rising cost of living are now facing a fresh round of “shrinkflation”, according to consumer group Which?

The watchdog found that well-known brands are quietly reducing the size or quality of everyday products – from toothpaste and coffee to chocolate and even heartburn medicine – while keeping prices the same or higher.

Which? asked shoppers to share examples of products that have recently shrunk in size, revealing a string of price hikes once the new pack sizes were taken into account.

Among the worst offenders was Aquafresh Complete Care Original Toothpaste, which has gone from £1.30 for 100ml to £2 for 75ml at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado – a 105% increase per 100ml.

In the healthcare aisle, bottles of Gaviscon Heartburn and Indigestion Liquid shrank from 600ml to 500ml, but at Sainsbury’s the price stayed at £14 – a 20% rise per 100ml.

Even budget staples are affected. Sainsbury’s Scottish Oats have halved in size from 1kg to 500g while the price increased from £1.25 to £2.10 – a 236% rise per 100g.

Coffee lovers haven’t escaped either. Nescafe Original Instant Coffee now comes in a 190g jar instead of 200g at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda – a 5% increase per 100g.

Chocolate fans are also feeling the squeeze. Which? found KitKat Two-Finger Milk Chocolate Bar multipacks went from 21 bars to 18 at Ocado, with the price rising from £3.60 to £5.50 – a 53% increase.

Quality Street tubs have been reduced from 600g to 550g, while the price at Morrisons has gone up from £6 to £7 – a 27% hike per 100g.

Meanwhile, Cadbury’s Freddo and Fudge multipacks have gone from five bars to four at several supermarkets, but still cost £1.40 – a 25% rise per bar. The Terry’s Chocolate Orange Ball Toffee Crunch has also shrunk slightly, from 152g to 145g, with the £2 price tag unchanged.

It’s not just about quantity – Which? says some brands are cutting corners on quality too. White KitKats now contain less than 20% cocoa butter, meaning they can no longer legally be called white chocolate.

Similarly, McVitie’s Penguin and Club bars have been reformulated with more palm and shea oil than cocoa, and McVitie’s White Digestives no longer contain cocoa butter at all.

Which? is calling for greater transparency from retailers and manufacturers, warning that consumers deserve to know what they’re paying for.

Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “Households are already under immense financial pressure with food bills inching up and the expense of Christmas looming on the horizon, so it can feel especially sneaky when manufacturers quietly reduce pack sizes or downgrade key ingredients.

“Supermarkets must be more upfront about their prices so that it’s easy to see what the best value is. This includes ensuring that their unit pricing is prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online to help customers easily compare costs across different brands and sizes of packaging – that way shoppers can be more confident they’re getting the best value.”