Bigger, more expensive but with the same ingredients: This is how Knorr, a well-known brand of the multinational Unilever, comes up with the new packaging for the breaded mix. “I find that very cheeky. Consumers are being deceived, and it’s also a waste of resources,” he reports to his readers, Blick zu Sprach.
It’s no secret that prices are rising right now. Inflation in Switzerland was 3.0 percent in November. Many grocery items are likely to become more expensive in December. That’s why producers and traders raise their prices to cover their costs – higher energy prices, freight costs, etc. This may or may not be made transparent to customers.
Intentional deception
Of course, manufacturers know that consumers don’t like price increases. They get their bags full of cheats and hidden price hikes. For example, like Knorr in this case, they are trying to appeal to consumers with increased prices with larger packaging.
It’s easy to be fooled in the store. Because the customer assumes that there is more content in the larger package. You’ll only notice the trick when you read the small print. Scams are legal, but cause irritation.
The larger Knorr packaging is also surprising because manufacturers are currently working to keep packaging waste as low as possible. You know: Customers care about sustainability.
In the fall, the buzzword “shrinkflation” swirled around. As prices rose, retailers and manufacturers tried to hide price increases by using smaller packaging with less ingredients. An example of such “shrinkage”: For example, the manufacturer Haribo reduced the “Goldbären” package in German supermarkets from 200 to 175 grams. The recommended price of 0.99 cents remained the same despite 12.5 percent less content.
More effort for logistics and retail
Changes in packaging size bother not only consumers but also retailers and logisticians. Because as in trucks, space is limited on shelves.
When it comes to Knorr breadcrumbs, Coop stands for the multinational brand. This left one request from Blick unanswered. When asked about Coop, he said that when it comes to their own brands, Coop basically doesn’t use an app like Knorr.
The German consumer advisory center warns repeatedly that “tricks” such as hidden price increases “are hardly noticed by consumers in regular shopping”. For example, a transparency platform will help where producers will have to notify reductions in fill volumes in advance.