Highlights. Shrinkflation, or the increase in cost per unit, has affected 33% of grocery items.
- Shrinkflation effectively increases the cost per unit and drives up to 10.3% of grocery price inflation.
- Up to 38% of snack items have increased their per-unit price.
- Some major brands have reduced product sizes by over 30% in 2026 without reducing prices; “shrinkflation” averaged 17.1% among selected national grocery brands.
- 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.
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.
- One brand of shampoo shrank 40.8% in 2026, going from 16.9 FL OZ to 12.0.
- 82% of shoppers express concern over shrinkflation.
- 95% of U.S. consumers noticed grocery shrinkflation in 2024.
- The majority of consumers (68%) noticed shrinkflation in snack food products.
- Shoppers also noticed shrinkflation in personal care products (26%), cleaning products (34%), and beverages (33%).
- In 2026, a brand of boxed crackers shrank 37.5%, from 5.5 OZ to 4.0.
- One box of fabric softener shrank 24.7%, from 187 FL OZ to 150.
- One bag of regular chocolates shrank 21.3% from 29.0 OZ to 23.9.
- In 2023, one brand of insulin shrank 10% (10 fewer syringes per box) without changing the size of its packaging.
| Item | % Shrinkflation | Unit of Shrink |
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 40.8% | 4.9 FL OZ |
| Crackers | 37.5% | 1.5 OZ |
| Pancake mix | 27.0% | 6.8 OZ |
| Fertilizer | 26.7% | 3.01 lbs |
| Protein Bar | 25.0% | 1 bar |
| Fabric Softener | 24.7% | 37 FL OZ |
| Dishwashing Pods | 22.6% | 14 pods |
| Cereal | 22.2% | 2 OZ |
| Dark Chocolate | 21.3% | 5.1 OZ |
| Coffee | 17.7% | 1.7 OZ |
| Dusters | 16.7% | 4 units |
| Toilet Paper | 15.7% | 40 sheets |
| Syrup | 15.0% | 3.6 FL OZ |
| Dog Food | 14.3% | 5.5 lbs |
| Bagels | 11.1% | 2 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 and 2023.
- While grocery prices increased 10% from March 2021 to March 2022, consumers reduced their grocery spending by 1.5%.
- Also from 2021 to 2022, the highest income bracket increased grocery spending by 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.
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, Warren, and Whitehouse.
“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
Skimpflation Statistics
Akin to shrinkflation, “skimpflation” refers to a reduction in a product’s ingredients or quality.
- In 2026, a national chocolate brand reduced its ingredient quality, requiring that it change its product classification from “milk chocolate & peanut butter” to “chocolate candy & peanut butter creme”.
- In 2025, a vegetable oil spread brand (margarine) reduced the fat content by 7.5%.
- In 2025, 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”.
- In 2024, a national hamburger restaurant increased the fat content in its burgers by 29.3% while decreasing protein by 9.76%.
- In 2023, a national brand reduced the oil content of its Italian-style dressing by 22.2% and increased its water content.
- In 2022, a national butter-substitute brand reduced the oil content in its spread by 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.
Inflation Statistics
Over the past decade, food prices have increased by an average of 3.3% annually.
- As of June 2026, grocery prices increased by 2.7% over 12 months.
- The price of eggs increased 21.9% in 2025, the highest inflation rate of all food categories.
- In 2026, the USDA projected that egg prices would increase by 83.4% throughout the year.
- Food prices in general are expected to increase up to 3.1% over the next 12 months.
- In 2022, food prices increased by 9.9%, the highest annual cost increase since 1979.
Sources
- MousePrint.org, Downsizing / Shrinkflation
- Senate.gov
- MorningConsult
- YouGov, Consumer choices in the era of shrinkflation
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data
- Lending Tree, Shrinkflation Report
- United Steelworkers, A Greedflation Report
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Data