Should we identify cases of refilling at the grocery store?

We don’t mess around with reflation in France. In some supermarkets, posters point out foods that have become lighter on the sly. This practice will even become mandatory from the summer, an idea that Ottawa finds “absolutely brilliant”. We cannot be against the principle of better informing consumers so that they can make informed decisions.

These days, you have to have an elephant’s memory or an obsession with numbers to be able to identify less full packages while shopping. Often, it is at home that doubt sets in.

We open a box of cereal or crackers and we see that it contains less than usual. Or, when making a lasagna, you are surprised that a single brick of cheese is no longer enough to cover it entirely, as happened to me last Sunday. The more the months of inflation pass, the more the examples of reflation (shrinkflation, in English) are numerous.

There is nothing illegal in this strategy if the weight of the food listed on the packaging is correct.

But we are playing with customer perceptions when the format of the box has not changed one bit while the quantity of food inside has been reduced. This is what fuels the feeling of deception.

The changes are generally subtle, on the order of 5 to 10%, gradual, and therefore difficult to perceive.

In France, the government has decided to act to protect consumers.

From 1^er July, supermarkets will have to affix a poster near the products when their quantity decreases and their price remains unchanged or increases. The information will be kept in place for two months.

This strategy is copied from that of the food giant Carrefour. For months, he has been pointing out examples of reflation with small posters. This allows it to position itself as a defender of its customers’ purchasing power, even if it means creating tensions with its suppliers. We must salute the audacity, all the same.

We’ve never seen anything like this in Canada, but our Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, wants that to change, revealed the Montreal Journal. The elected official who campaigns for a stabilization of the price of the grocery basket judges that the French initiative is “absolutely brilliant”, his press officer, Audrey Champoux, told me. “When we saw the news, we said to ourselves that it was a no-brainer. » Ottawa therefore intends to “push” on the provinces so that they follow France’s lead, since in-store display is not under federal jurisdiction.

In practice, what difference will posters highlighting examples of redeflation make? That’s the big question.

Minister Champagne believes that consumers will change their purchasing habits, which could reduce the price of their grocery basket. In the pasta section, where the products are not very different from each other, it is likely that the brand which has just reduced its formats will suffer… until the day its competitors do the same thing. All food experts will tell you: as soon as one company takes off, the others quickly follow since they face the same cost increases (ingredients, salaries, packaging, transport).

That said, customers will still need to look at the price per 100 grams. The food pointed out by an annoying poster could still turn out to be the cheapest in its category!

For other foods, I predict that customers informed of the reduplication will grumble, roll their eyes, but stick to their habits.

Some people always eat the same cereals, the same cheese, the same ice cream. They won’t replace Oreos or Ritzes because there are one or two less in the box.

Ottawa predicts that “it will put manufacturers against the wall, it will force them to make decisions,” adds Audrey Champoux. I agree.

No company will want a poster of shame above their products. They will look for and find workaround strategies. It could be a change of ingredient that reduces the cost of production. This was seen with the Chipits (Hershey) white chocolate chips which became white cream chips stuffed with palm oil, as I have already written^⁠1.

“We are going to change the recipes, we are going to change the packaging, we are going to try to change the name, we are going to try to do something different to be able to reintroduce the new product into the market with less volume,” says Maryse Côté. Hamel, professor of consumer sciences at Laval University. The other solution to maintain profits: impose gradual price increases.

In any case, the consumer will not be any further ahead. In addition, the posters could have the effect of fueling cynicism and frustration, by constantly reminding customers that they are getting less for their money.

Strongly welcome transparency, but let’s be aware that it could have unfortunate consequences.

1. Read the article “Fake chocolate, real quest”

Consult the policy in force in France from 1^er July