"The better you communicate these changes to consumers, the better we can build trust between manufacturers and consumers," she said. "It comes down to the individual to really navigate those food ingredient lists."īut dietitian Lee argues that companies flagging recipe changes could actually be good for business. "It's just not a feasible strategy," said Malik, an assistant professor teaching nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. So, she argues, it would be impractical and potentially cost-prohibitive for manufacturers to alert customers on the packaging every time there's a recipe revision. Nutrition expert Vasanti Malik said recipes change regularly in the food industry for a variety of reasons, including supply chain problems and customer preferences. and on Amazon's Canadian shopping site.Īfter comparing the nutritional details on an older and current version of the dressing in August, Dworsky concluded that the brand reduced the oil content by more than 22 per cent and appears to have made up for it with added water and sodium.ĭuration 2:34 Consumers and advocates are calling for more transparency around the practice of shrinking packaging rather than increasing prices, known as 'shrinkflation.' Other countries make companies display weight changes on product labels. They include Wish-Bone House Italian salad dressing, which is sold in the U.S. ![]() To help alert shoppers to recipe changes, consumer advocate Dworsky posts on his website, Consumer World, what he believes are examples of skimpflation. Last month, the federal government announced plans to investigate skimpflation, stating the practice hurts Canadians. "I think it comes down to clearly communicating to consumers so that they can make informed decisions," she said. ![]() Lee says the federal government should also require companies to redesign packaging when they revamp recipes, so shoppers understand the product has changed. consumer advodate Edgar Dworsky points out examples of skimpflation and shrinkflation on his website, Mouse Print. So now they're calling it 'chocolatey coating,'" said Jennifer Lee, a registered dietitian and doctoral candidate in nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. "It appears that replaced the milk chocolate ingredient to something that doesn't meet the standard of identity for Canada. Quaker's owner, U.S.-based PepsiCo, did not respond to requests for comment about the switch to the "chocolatey coating" made with palm oil.Īccording to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, products must meet certain criteria to be labelled "chocolate", including a specified minimum amount of cocoa butter and powder, and no vegetable oils. ![]() "So it's very easy to pull the wool over our eyes." No more milk chocolate? "We don't know the recipe," said Dworsky. He believes the recent spike in inflation has sparked a rise in skimpflation, as companies grapple with rising supply costs.īut it's difficult to gauge the extent of the practice, because it's hard to detect. "It's really an unknown, sneaky way to give you less for your money," said Boston-based consumer watchdog Edgar Dworsky, who tracks both skimpflation and shrinkflation. The older Dipps bar packaging, left, has a logo in the upper right-hand corner that says the bars are "made with real milk chocolate." The logo no longer appears on the new packaging, right.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |