shrinkage
Posted by Lynsie Watkins Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:29:00 GMT
I love it when I’m driving home, listening to NPR, and they begin talking about my favorite subject: ice cream. What I love EVEN more is when they’re on my side. Such was the case earlier this week, as I was driving over the big mountain heading to my humble home. According to www.consumerist.com, there’s been some direct correllation between our country’s current financial crisis and food-WOW, you say, how on earth could that be? ;) Read on…
Big food corporations, like Kraft, Unilever, and others, who represent products such as cheese, soap, toothpaste, and yes, ice cream, have recently been caught red-handed! They have been slyly decreasing the size of many of their packaged goods without changing the copy on their packaging to alert the consumer to this new product size! The Consumerist is calling it "shrinkage," and aptly so. Apparently, Kraft’s once 11 slice package of Swiss cheese is now 10. And to make matters worse, the company is dressing up this new packaging choice as healthy, instead of calling it what it is: a response to cheap food prices that are now not so cheap anymore. In fact, the front of the package now exclaims, "sensibly sized portion." Excuse me, but AS IF!
Ice cream tubs from Breyers and Edy’s have decreased in size from approximately 1.75 quarts to 1.5 quarts. The only thing that these food companies are required to change about their packaging is the weight. So unless you’re a savant (The Consumerist’s clever phrasing, not mine), how could you possibly be able to memorize everything you buy in the store in ounces?
Now all of this might seem moot lest I reveal the real kicker behind this new shrinkage method. All of the products are decreasing in size, but the prices are staying the same. Cereal boxes are smaller, margarine-yuck!-containers are smaller, and so on, but they all cost the same. I don’t know about you, but this pisses me off. How is this fair? Why are big corporations allowed to do this without any reprimanding?
They are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, and the sad part is, it’s just now that we’re starting to notice.
What are some ways that we can avoid being part of this shrinking trend?? Buy less at the grocery store, and more at your local Farmer’s Market. Farmer’s Markets are stronger than ever this season. In our area alone we have many to choose from each week, so there should be no excuse not to frequent many.
Perfect Flavor has just started participating in many area markets as well. In fact, this upcoming week we’ll be at Whole Foods on Tuesday, and Meade Park in Charlottesville. There are many more to come as well, so stay tuned.
For information regarding Farmer’s Markets in our direct Charlottesville/Shenandoah/Nelson area, pick up a Buy Fresh, Buy Local Guide, now available in the Shenandoah Valley as well! For much more information on D.C./Maryland Farmer’s Markets, pick up the most recent issue of Edible Chesapeake, out in every Whole Foods in the Chesapeake region, and it’s free! (We also made the issue this Summer, which we’re very proud of here at Perfect Flavor!)
Thanks for doing your part!