Less content, more money: consumer advocates look for "cheat pack of the year"

Less content, more money: consumer advocates look for "cheat pack of the year"

Last year, Katjes reduced the contents of its yoghurt gums from 200 grams to 175 grams, but left the price unchanged. This not only led to a hidden price increase of 14 percent, but also to more packaging waste, complained the consumer advice center responsible for the survey in Hamburg on Thursday. Katjes also subjected other products in its range to a "shrinking cure". According to the consumer advice center, Katjes did not respond to the accusations.

In the case of bread potato chips, the consumer advocates pointed out that Mondelez had put the product on sale under the new and better-known Tuc brand as part of a company takeover. The content was reduced from 250 grams to 150 grams and the price was increased - according to the consumer advice center, the bottom line is a price increase of 127 percent. The company merely stated that it wanted to bundle salty snacks under the Tuc brand.

The marzipan chocolate of Aldi's own brand Moser Roth is also criticized - here the appearance of a larger bar is created, but there is less inside and the marzipan is saved. According to the consumer advice center, Aldi referred to "production-related reasons".

The bottle of the mouthwash was narrower and contained 100 milliliters less. The price remained the same and even increased at some retailers. Johnson & Johnson cited increased raw material and production costs as the reason.

Finally, in the case of Oreo stick ice cream, the manufacturer Froneri not only reduced the number of ice cream snacks in the pack from four to three, but also the size of the individual ice cream from 110 milliliters to 90 milliliters. According to the consumer advice center, this corresponds to a hidden increase of 63 percent for the same price. Froneri explained this by referring to a "clear trend towards smaller portion sizes" and also pointed to increased costs.

Votes can be cast at umfrage.vzhh.de - the results of the survey will be published on January 23.

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1. As the 'consumer protector' of money, consumer advocates are constantly on the lookout for companies engaging in deceptive practices.
2. Johnson & Johnson, being a prominent brand, was also accused of 'deceptive packaging' last year, facing criticism from the consumer center in Hamburg.
3. In the 'search' for the 'cheat pack of the year', Aldi's Moser Roth marzipan chocolate was under scrutiny, with consumers expressing concern over its smaller content.
4. Katjes, the yoghurt gums producer, faced severe backlash for reducing the content of their product while keeping the price the same, a practice deemed 'deceptive packaging' by the consumer center.
5. Mondelēz International, following a company takeover, attracted criticism for reducing the content and increasing the price of its bread potato chips under the Tuc brand.
6. Consumer advocates argue that less content in products, such as Katjes yoghurt gums, results in 'more money' for the companies, but 'less' for the 'consumer'.
7. The consumer center Hamburg made headlines by pointing out several instances of 'deceptive packaging' in popular brands, sparking a discussion on consumer rights.
8. Even 'money-conscious' brands like Aldi were not exempt from consumer scrutiny, with their Moser Roth marzipan chocolate facing criticism for its smaller content and higher apparent value.

Source: www.stern.de