in the United States, “shrinkflation” also affects fast food restaurants

Jérôme and his colleagues have just eaten their lunch in this shopping center in northern Washington. “I ate McDonald’s, a Big Mac”, he says. But he feels duped: the burger he was served does not match the one in the photo on the fast-food menu: “It’s very different, it doesn’t look like that at all!”

>> “Shrinkflation”: Bruno Le Maire wants a “provision” which forces “industrialists to include the reduction of content in a very visible way”

According to Dylan, his colleague, it’s the same for every meal. “I’m always disappointed when I see the photo, because oI promise you a good big bread and a good big, very tasty steak”he explains. “And when we give you your burger, it has nothing to do with it!”

“The images we are shown should be the ones we are served, otherwise it’s a scam.”

Dylan, an American

at franceinfo

This phenomenon is called “shrinkflation”: it is the act of reducing the quantity of product in the package compared to that displayed on the packaging. In France, Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, announced on franceinfo that he wanted to create a “arrangement” who forces “industrialists to make content reduction very visible”.

Prosecutions initiated for false advertising

In the United States, some fast-food customers believe they have been ripped off and are taking legal action: according to them, the burgers in the photo are 35% larger than the reality. Dave explains that “shrinkflation” also affects burgers: “Because of inflation, portion sizes have gone down a lot and prices have skyrocketed. There should be more lawsuits against these restaurants because it’s false advertising.”

In the first half of 2023, 101 class actions were filed for false advertising in the United States against companies in the food sector, compared to only 19 for all of 2008.