Shrinkflation Statistics

Last updated: March 4, 2025

Highlights. Some major brands reduced product sizes by over 30% in 2024 without reducing prices; “shrinkflation” averaged 16.2% among selected national grocery brands.

  • Shrinkflation effectively increases the cost per unit and drives up to 10.3% of grocery price inflation.
  • 75% of Americans have noticed shrinkflation at their grocery store; among them, 81% have taken some kind of action as a result.
  • 48% of American shoppers have abandoned a brand due to shrinkflation.
  • One brand of snack cookies shrank 50% in 2024, going from 1.5 ounces (OZ) to 1.

Grouped Bar Graph: Grocery Price Changes Due to Shrinkflation by selected product category from July 2019 to October 2023 including total average price change and the share of the price change that is due to shrinkflation; according to a U.S. Senate report

Shrinkflation Statistics

Brands may reduce the size of their product packaging or the amount of product per package to avoid raising prices, which consumers are more likely to notice.

  • 64% of shoppers express concern over shrinkflation.
  • 79% of U.S. consumers noticed grocery shrinkflation in 2023. 
  • The majority of consumers (72%) noticed shrinkflation in food products.
  • Shoppers also noticed shrinkflation with personal care products (44%), household products (43%), and beverages (41%).
  • In 2024, a brand of snack-sized peanut butter shrank 36.4%, from 12 OZ to 8.8.
  • One bag of dog food shrank 36.0%, from 34 OZ to 25.
  • One box of regular cereal shrank 35.1% from 13.1 OZ to 9.7.
  • In 2023, one brand of insulin shrank 10% (10 fewer syringes per box) without changing the size of its packaging.
2024 Shrinkflation Examples
Item % Shrinkflation Unit of Shrink
Cookies 50.00% 0.5 OZ
Peanut butter 36.36% 3.2 OZ
Dog food 36.00% 9 OZ
Cereal 35.05% 3.4 OZ
Tortillas 33.33% 5 OZ
Sparkling water 25.15% 8.5 OZ
Oatmeal 25.00% 2 packets
Bar soap 21.92% 0.57 OZ
Paper towels 20.00% 20 sheets
Razors 20.00% 6 razors
Coffee pods 20.00% 2 pods
Almonds 20.00% 5 OZ
Protein bars 20.00% 2 bars
Au gratin potatoes 17.50% 0.7 OZ
Toothpaste 17.50% 0.7 OZ
Crackers 17.33% 1.3 OZ
Tissues 16.67% 8 sheets
Fabric softener 13.33% 20 OZ
Orange juice 13.04% 6 OZ
Toilet paper 13.03% 37 sheets
Pizza 11.34% 2.8 OZ
Chocolate 11.17% 0.85 OZ
Snack mix 11.11% 1.5 OZ
Laundry detergent 10.61% 14 OZ
Chicken nuggets 10.34% 3 OZ
Deodorant 9.70% 0.23 OZ
Popcorn 8.70% 0.4 OZ
Shampoo 8.00% 1 OZ
Ground coffee 6.06% 0.6 OZ

Price Inflation Statistics

Shrinkflation is the root cause of a percentage of currency inflation.

  • Shrinkflation drove between 3.3% and 10.3% of price inflation among selected national grocery brands between 2019 Q1 through 2023 Q3.
  • While grocery prices increased 10% from March 2021 to March 2022, consumers reduced their grocery spending 1.5%.
  • Also from March 2021 to March 2022, the highest income bracket increased grocery spending 3%.
  • The Federal Reserve blames corporate profits for 100% of price inflation from July 2020 to July 2021.
  • 42% of currency inflation went toward boosting corporate profits from 2020 Q3 to 2022 Q2.

Grouped Bar Graph: Consumer Price Indexes 12-Month Change by the average price paid by urban consumers by the 12-month period's end including food at home (i.e. groceries) and all consumer goods and services according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'

“To direct the Federal Trade Commission to issue regulations to establish shrinkflation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice, and for other purposes.” – proposed Shrinkflation Prevention Act of 2024

Shrinkflation Regulation

In February 2024, several U.S. Senators* co-sponsored a bill to define shrinkflation and empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general to regulate it.

  • The FTC would enact rules to prohibit shrinkflation practices that are designed to deceive consumers.
  • Corporations that violate FTC rules could be subject to investigation and potential civil action.
  • State attorneys could bring civil charges against corporations with potential legal consequences.

*These include Senators Baldwin, Booker, Brown, Casey, Murray, Rosen, Sanders, and Warren.

Grouped Bar Graph: Food Price Indexes 12-Month Change by the average buying proces among urban consumers for food at home and selling prices among domestic food producers by the 12-month period's end including the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'

Skimpflation Statistics

Akin to shrinkflation, “skimpflation” refers to a reduction in a product’s ingredients or quality.

  • In 2024, a national hamburger restaurant increased the fat content in their burgers by 29.3% while decreasing protein by 9.76%.
  • In 2023, one popular national dessert brand reduced the milkfat in its ice cream below the federally required 10%**; the brand now refers to its product as “frozen dairy dessert”.
  • Also in 2023, a national brand reduced the oil content of its Italian-style dressing 22.2%, increasing its water content.
  • In 2022, a national brand reduced the oil content in its butter-substitute spread 39.1% and replaced much of it with water.

**Federal laws about false advertising state that any item that is advertised as “ice cream” must include certain ingredients, including a minimum of 10% milk fat.

Sources

  1. MousePrint.org, Downsizing / Shrinkflation 
  2. Senate.gov
  3. MorningConsult
  4. YouGov, Consumer choices in the era of shrinkflation
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data