Ben’s Original has cut the size of rice portions, but kept the price the same, in the latest case of shrinkflation. The brand has removed 30g from its 250g pouches, reducing them to 220g. But they still cost 99p at Tesco and £1 at Sainsbury’s.
Food giant Mars blamed the move on “significant cost increases” in its raw materials and operations.
“We have been absorbing these rising costs for some time, but the growing pressures mean more needs to be done” it told the trade magazine The Grocer.
Shrinkflation – reducing products while keeping prices the same – is becoming common in supermarkets.
Warburtons recently cut the number of breads in its Soft Pittas pack from five to four.
But consumer expert Jane Hawkes told the Daily Express: “It’s unfair to expect customers to navigate baffling net weights. We need more for our money not less.”
