Belgian minister lashes out at shrinkflation: “fooling consumers”

Rob Beenders, Belgium’s Minister for Consumer Affairs, wants to take action against manufacturers who imperceptibly shrink products without adjusting the price. He says shrinkflation is “unacceptable” and “damages consumer confidence.”

“Consumers as dummies”

“It is unacceptable that manufacturers secretly reduce the content of their products, while the price remains the same or even increases”, the minister told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “Shrinkflation is a commercial strategy of brands to raise prices and thus earn more. This damages consumer confidence, because producers treat them as if they were idiots.”