Ellyn Newall of Edmonton felt duped after a recent grocery shop.
She had purchased two boxes of family-sized Honeycomb cereal for the same price. But when she unpacked her shopping bag, she noticed one box was slightly taller — and slimmer — than the other.
Turns out the shorter box is older packaging, which is being phased out. The taller box is new packaging — but taller doesn’t mean more product.
In fact, when Newall took a closer look, she discovered the new box has 70 grams less cereal — a reduction of almost 12 per cent.
“The first thing you think is, like: ‘How could they do that to us?’ You feel upset. You feel deceived,” she said.
It’s called shrinkflation and occurs when food producers shrink items but not the price or packaging, making it hard to detect. It has been going on for years.
Ellyn Newall of Edmonton said she would not have purchased the new box of Honeycomb cereal, left, if she had known it contains less cereal than the older box, right. (Samuel Martin/CBC)
“Everything seems to be more expensive now. And by simply reducing the size of their products, people maybe feel like they’re being tricked a little bit,” said Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer with the consumer advocacy group Option Consommateurs.
U.S.-based Post Consumer Brands, makers of Honeycomb cereal, did not reply to requests for comment.
“If I had noticed this in the store, I absolutely would not have bought this box,” said Newall, referring to the new box with less cereal.
“I would honestly like to say to the federal government to please, please find some way to regulate this.”
How widespread is it?
Because shrinkflation can be hard to identify, it’s difficult to know precisely how widespread it is and if it’s on the rise.
CBC News combed grocery stores over the past couple of weeks and found several cases of shrinkflation.
For example, Mondelēz’s Wheat Thins crackers has shrunk 10 per cent to 180 grams, Kraft Heinz’s Original Kraft Dinner has been reduced 11 per cent to 200 grams, and General Mills’s Betty Crocker SuperMoist Cake Mix has shrunk 13 per cent to 375 grams.
Despite the reductions, the price and packaging remained the same for each product.
Betty Crocker SuperMoist Cake Mix has shrunk from 432 grams to 375 grams — a 13 per cent reduction. (Sophia Harris/CBC)
General Mills did not reply to requests for comment.
Kraft Heinz and Mondelēz said they reduced their products to offset higher production costs.
The industry group Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) echoes that argument.
“Food manufacturers are challenged by increasing costs,” FHCP spokesperson Anthony Fuchs said in an email. “Rather than simply pass these costs directly on to consumers, they consider alternatives that can include adapting the size of [the product].”
But consumer advocate De Bellefeuille argues shoppers are more likely to notice a price hike than a subtle weight change.
“With more transparency, at least we would know that we have less for the same [price], so that we can make better informed decisions,” she said.
CBC News data journalist Daniel Blanchette Pelletier has been tracking shrinkflation. Here are some examples.
They have garnered millions of views and heated viewer comments.
“They’re furious. Not at me, but at the fact that this is actually something that’s happening,” he said.
When CBC News met with Chauhan, he was making a TikTok video about Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which recently shrunk by 5.4 per cent to 473 millilitres.
This month, French supermarket chain Carrefour started putting labels on its shelves to warn shoppers of products that have been downsized. (Carrefour/Linkedin)
In 2013, Option Consommateurs submitted a report to the federal government advising it to regulate shrinkflation. Recommendations included requiring companies alert customers on food product labels, as is done in Brazil.
But Fuchs, with industry group FHCP, warns new labelling requirements could have the “unintended impact” of increasing companies’ costs.
Justin Simard, a spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, told CBC News in an email that Ottawa has identified shrinkflation as a practice that hurts consumers.
However, he had no details yet of any type of action plan.
As for Newall, once she discovered the new boxes of Honeycomb contained less cereal, she took action by buying several older boxes — before they disappeared.
“I know that once that sells out, I’m no longer going to get [the same] value for my money.”
Tax implications
Canadians should also be aware that when some food products shrink below a certain amount, they must pay sales tax.
Although many grocery items are tax-exempt, shoppers must pay tax on snack foods such as muffins, pastries, cereal bars and cookies in packages of less than six and containers of ice cream under 500 millilitres.
Tubs of Ben and Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs ice cream each recently shrunk from 500 millilitres to 473 millilitres and 450 millilitres respectively. That means Canadians now not only get less per tub, but they’re also hit with sales tax.
Chauhan discovered this when he purchased two tubs of Ben and Jerry’s to make his TikTok video, and was charged 13 per cent harmonized sales tax.
“We’re getting taxed on this because it’s technically a single serving. Whether the average consumer is OK with that is a different story,” he said.
Despite ever-shrinking products, the Canada Revenue Agency told CBC News it’s not reconsidering its rules for taxable snack foods.
WATCH | How shrinkflation affects shoppers:
How shrinkflation affects Canadian consumers
1 year ago
Duration 2:06
Featured VideoTo deal with the impact of rising inflation, companies are reducing package sizes while charging the same prices in what’s known as shrinkflation. Experts suggest consumers can avoid shrinkflation by paying attention to the price per unit rather than the total price.
Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you’re following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that’ll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Your level of interest in the company and the role.
Contributing to your employer’s success is essential.
You desire a cultural fit.
Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they’ve become cliché questions you should avoid asking:
“What are the key responsibilities of this position?”
Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn’t read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, “How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?” “What will be my monthly revenue target?”
“What does a typical day look like?”
Although it’s important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don’t focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a “typical day.” However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you’re capable of meeting the employer’s expectations.
“How would you describe the company culture?”
Asking this question screams, “I read somewhere to ask this question.” There are much better ways to research a company’s culture, such as speaking to current and former employees, reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they’re presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? “Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he’ll make your life miserable.” “Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up.”
Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”
When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer’s.
Cliché questions don’t impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.
Here are my four go-to questions—I have many more—to accomplish this:
“Describe your management style. How will you manage me?”
This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who’ll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I’ll accept the job.
“What is the one thing I should never do that’ll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?”
This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, “What are your pet peeves?”
“When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you’d want to see from me in the first six months?”
Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. As I mentioned, focus on the results you need to produce and timelines. How realistic are the expectations? It’s never about the question; it’s about what you want to know. It’s important to know whether you’ll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss’s expectations.
“If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?”
Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn’t looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.
Other questions I’ve asked:
“What keeps you up at night?”
“If you were to leave this company, who would follow?”
“How do you handle an employee making a mistake?”
“If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?”
“What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?”
“What are the informal expectations of the role?”
“What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?”
Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. Cliché questions don’t lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CALGARY – Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $2.27 billion, down from $2.34 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared with $1.06 per diluted share a year earlier.
Product sales totalled $10.40 billion, down from $11.76 billion in the same quarter last year.
Daily production for the quarter averaged 1,363,086 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 1,393,614 a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, Canadian Natural says it earned 97 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 90 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
CALGARY – Cenovus Energy Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year as its revenue edged lower.
The company says it earned $820 million or 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.86 billion or 97 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $14.25 billion, down from $14.58 billion in the same quarter last year.
Total upstream production in the quarter amounted to 771,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 797,000 a year earlier.
Total downstream throughput was 642,900 barrels per day compared with 664,300 in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Cenovus says its funds flow amounted to $1.05 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from adjusted funds flow of $1.81 per diluted share a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
