"Cheat pack of the year 2023" wanted
Fewer goods for the same price? This form of hidden price increase is commonplace in supermarkets. From today, the consumer advice center in Hamburg is offering consumers the opportunity to vote against such cheating products.
Consumers can once again vote for the "cheat pack of the year". The Hamburg Consumer Advice Center (VZHH), which is awarding the prize for the tenth time, is presenting five products with which manufacturers have particularly deceived their customers in the opinion of the consumer advocates.
For months, many people have had the impression that everything is getting more expensive when they stand at the supermarket checkout and pay for their shopping. However, in addition to conventional price increases, manufacturers often simply reduce the content of their products and the retail price remains the same or increases slightly. Again and again, these well-disguised changes in filling quantities (shrinkflation) are the means of choice to push through sometimes drastic price increases.
More cheat packs than ever before
In 2023, the VZHH published more cheat packs than ever before. By the end of the year, 104 products had been added to the list of cheat packs. In 2022, there were significantly fewer at 76 and in 2021 only 47.
The five candidates now up for election as "Cheat pack of the year 2023" are products that have become significantly more expensive in the past year due to reduced filling quantities and, in some cases, additional price increases. The shortlist of nominees is the result of numerous tips and complaints that the VZHH has received over the past twelve months.
Consumers are invited to vote for the unflattering award here until January 22 at 4 pm. The result will be published on January 23.
The candidates for the "Cheat pack of the year 2023" are
- "Yoghurt Gums" from Katjes: same bag, same design. The contents of the yogurt gums have nevertheless shrunk - from 200 to 175 grams. The well-disguised "shrinking cure" leads to a hidden price increase of 14 percent and more packaging waste.
- "Tuc Bake Rolls Sea Salt" from Mondelez: Mondelez is offering virtually the same bread potato chips under the supposedly high-quality brand Tuc "new" with less content. With the additional price increase in stores, the pack will be 127 percent more expensive on balance.
- "Chocolat Amandes Vollmilch" from Aldi: a bar of marzipan chocolate that looks bigger even though it contains less. They save on the marzipan, but sell the chocolate at a higher price. This cheat pack is over 30 percent more expensive only a short time after the changeover.
- "Listerine Total Care" from Johnson & Johnson: same size bottle, but less content. Johnson & Johnson simply makes the bottle of its mouthwash narrower, but this is not noticeable. The price is also rising. Consumers have to pay almost 34% more for this "double price increase".
- Oreo stick ice cream from Froneri: Froneri is not only reducing the number of stick ice creams in the pack, but is also shrinking each individual ice cream. The 440 milliliters of ice cream per carton will become 270, which corresponds to a hidden price increase of 63 percent for the same retail price.
In recent years, the spreadable fat "Rama" from the manufacturer Upfield, the "Paprika Sauce" from Homann (2021), the muesli from Seitenbacher (2020), the pasta dish Mirácoli from Mar (2019), the potato chips from Lorenz Snack-World (2018), the Vitalis fruit muesli from Dr. Oetker (2017), Evian water from Danone Waters (2016), Johnson & Johnson's Bebe soft cream (2015) and Procter & Gamble's Pampers diapers (2014) were awarded the negative prize.
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- Consumers might be interested to know that the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center (VZHH) has an advisor who can provide guidance on identifying such "cheat packs" in retail trade.
- Brands like Katjes, Mondelez, Aldi, Johnson & Johnson, and Froneri have made it to the list of potential "Cheat pack of the year" due to their questionable practices in food products, leading to increased prices despite reduced content.
- Retail trade watchdogs and consumer centers urge consumers to be aware of price manipulation tactics, such as shrinkflation, where brands reduce the contents of their products while keeping or even increasing the prices.
- While voting for the "Cheat pack of the year" might seem like a fun activity, it also serves as a reminder for consumers to pay close attention to the brands and products they purchase, ensuring they are getting fair value for their money.
Source: www.ntv.de
