How to spot hidden price increases or 'shrinkflation'

Take time to look at what you are buying to see whether you are getting less value for money. —BENJAMIN NOLTE/dpa-tmn

When you're out shopping and you look at the chocolate bars, they may seem smaller than before. The butter you usually buy is lighter than in the past. Or the roll of kitchen towel is less bulky than it once was.

All these may be signs of shrinkflation. You may see packaging that looks similar, whether for packs of crisps or washing powder, but once you get home, you realise there's more air and packaging than before, and less in terms of content.

Suddenly that XXL pack seems worse value for money, rather than better.

Shrinkflation is when producers reduce the quantity of a product, but the price remains the same, effectively hiding a price increase through providing less quantity for the same sum.

It can be easy not to spot, especially if you grab something off the supermarket shelf in a rush.

Consumer advisers say you can spot such changes if you take a little time.

Air in packaging is one thing to watch out for. There are no clear-cut universal rules about packaging but as a guideline, there should not be more than 30% air in the packaging.

You can also check the unit price, as in many places including Germany, this is often mandatory.

Retailers must state the unit price alongside the total price when offering goods in pre-packaged items, open packs or as unwrapped units sold by weight, volume, length or area.

The unit price must be clearly visible and legible. You often find this data directly next to or below the stated purchase price. It should say what the item would cost if sold as 1kg or 1l.

But when it comes to products sold by the item, such as wet wipes or toilet paper, retailers need not provide a unit price.

Plus, whether required or not, consumer protection organisations keep finding on shop floors that unit prices are missing, incorrectly labelled or displayed in illegibly small print.

As a shopper, you can pay close attention to the quantity information on products you buy regularly. That will make any changes easier to spot if the contents are reduced despite the size of the packaging remaining constant and the price unchanged.

That might mean a chocolate bar that weighs only 90g rather than the 100g it weighed before.

Watch out also for products marked "new recipe" or "improved quality" as consumer advisers say this can also mask price increases. – dpa