The Incredible Shrinking Grocery Bag

Published on Thursday, July 3, 2008, by James Norton / Edit Post

If you’re feeling oddly untouched by spiking food prices and the weakening dollar, it may just be a matter of clever framing: In many cases, grocery store food’s not getting more expensive, it’s just getting smaller.

Time reports that there’s a whole lotta shrinkage going on:

This month, Kellogg’s started shipping Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks containing an average of 2.4 fewer ounces per box.

Similar reductions have recently happened or are on the horizon for many other products: Tropicana orange juice containers are shrinking from 96 ounces to 89; Wrigley’s is dropping its 17-stick PlenTPak in favor of the 15-stick Slim Pack; Dial soap bars now weigh half an ounce less, and that’s even before they melt in the shower. Containers of Country Crock spread, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Edy’s and Breyer’s ice cream have all slimmed down as well.

The good news may be that with the way the typical American family consumes overstuffed portions and wastes food, the extra few ounces that are going missing may scarcely be missed.

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POST A COMMENT |4 Comments

COMMENT

  • Curious, you are so right about the size of paper grocery bags. They used to reach the top of my kitchen recycling can. Now, the bags from Acme are about five inches shorter. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods still have decent sized bags -- with handles yet!

  • I think I've noticed the same thing in the fast food world. I usually open up my $1 BK Whopper Juniors to add mustard, and recently have gotten the feeling that they've been maintaining the "dollar menu" status by shrinking the pattie.

  • I thought this post was going to be about how grocery bags are now only expected to hold one or two items. I used to come out of the grocery with a big sack of stuff; now I come out with ten little bags of stuff. But apparently I'll soon be bringing home ten little bags of little stuff. Great.

  • The consumerist covers this stuff a lot -- they call it the 'grocery shrink ray'.