Americans shunning brand names to cope with ‘shrinkflation,’ poll shows

Nearly two-thirds of American shoppers say they are worried about “shrinkflation” in the grocery store aisles, with about half switching to different brands and generic products to cope, according to a new survey.

Morning Consult reported Monday that 64% of those it polled cite the shrinkflation phenomenon — smaller portions for the same price as a hidden sign of inflation — as a concern. Some 54% of shoppers say they have seen, read or heard something about shrinking packages and portion sizes forcing them “to pay more for less” as food and beverage prices rise. Only 25% say they haven’t noticed the trend in any grocery category.

When shoppers encounter shrinkflation at the supermarket, 48% say they are buying a different brand and 49% are choosing a generic product.

“With consumers hyperalert to inflation, they’re more vigilant than they otherwise would be about shrinkflation, where products are shrinking in size, weight or quantity as prices remain the same or even increase — a phenomenon that’s particularly prevalent in the grocery category,” Morning Consult reported.

Shoppers are noticing shrinkflation most clearly in snack offerings. According to the poll, 55% of respondents say they’ve seen items like potato chips decreasing in size or quantity while prices have “either remained steady or gone up.”

Worries about the trend are higher among older age groups and Americans who are not wealthy. The poll found that more baby boomers, low-income and middle-income adults are aware of the issue than young and high-income consumers.

It also found that three out of every 10 adults have stopped buying specific brands after seeing package sizes shrink.

It’s a difficult call for food producers facing their own higher costs about how and how much to pass along to consumers.

“With the consumer price index for food at home up 13.1% year over year in July, brands need to be paying extremely close attention to consumer sensitivity to these changes, or risk losing their favor at a time when many retailers and manufacturers are already weathering macroeconomic difficulties,” Morning Consult reported.