Skimpflation: Financial expert warns of declining quality as food prices rise

Skimpflation: Financial expert warns of declining quality as food prices rise

Food is becoming more and more expensive and the quality is now deteriorating. The Hamburg consumer advice center reports on a new development called “skimpflation”, in which valuable ingredients are replaced with cheaper alternatives in order to save costs and increase profit margins. A study by the Hamburg Consumer Center has shown that the quality of certain food products has declined. For example, Arla saves butter and rapeseed oil in its product “Kaergarden Unsalted Mixed Spreadable Fat” and replaces them with water. Aldi Nord is reducing the marzipan content in its “Amandes von Moser Roth” chocolate. Nestlé continues to use palm oil instead of sunflower oil in its “Cini Minis,” which results in a higher saturated fat content. The list of affected products is long and includes, among other things, coffee, ice cream and spreads. The consumer advice center points out that manufacturers often refer to “consumer wishes” or “taste preferences” to justify the changes. However, it is not known to what extent “skimpflation” is used. In addition to this deterioration in quality, there is also so-called “shrinkflation”, in which the packaging size remains the same but the contents are reduced to allow hidden price increases. This development is worrying for both consumers and the market as it can lead to higher costs and lower customer satisfaction.

According to a report from www.kreiszeitung.de,
Food continues to become more expensive. But are they getting worse now? How the food industry is doubling its profit margin. Consumers continue to have to dig deep into their pockets when shopping. Extreme inflation and rising energy costs continue to be a major concern for people. The price spiral continues to spiral upwards, particularly when it comes to food. Everything is becoming more expensive and more and more people say they have to save money on their purchases as food prices rise. This was the result of a survey by the Hans Böckler Foundation. Rising food prices are a big problem, especially for people with low incomes. For many, this means doing without. Around 52 percent of working people in Germany with a relatively low household income therefore feel compelled to limit their food purchases. But there are tips on how you can effectively save money when shopping and do something good for your health.

After “shrinkflation” now also “skimpflation”? Consumer advice center reveals: rising prices and declining food quality
But now, in addition to rising food prices, the quality of food products also seems to be deteriorating. As the Hamburg Consumer Center reports, the food industry has recently been saving on valuable ingredients. For example, cream, rapeseed oil or even marzipan are replaced by cheaper alternatives, fillers or flavors.
Consumer advocates call this phenomenon “skimpflation.” The English word “skimp” means “to skimp” or “to save” and does not mean the hidden price increase, but rather the declining quality. The suspicion: Companies want to save costs and increase their profit margins.

Consumer advice center: The quality of these food products has deteriorated
According to the Hamburg consumer advice center, in recent months there have been increasing complaints about deteriorated food recipes, which is why they compared old and new recipes for selected products. The result might surprise.
The quality of the following products has deteriorated:
– “Kaergarden Unsalted Mixed Spread Fat” from Arla: Arla saves the butter and rapeseed oil here and replaces these two ingredients with water.
– “Chocolate Amandes by Moser Roth”: Aldi Nord is reducing the marzipan in its filled chocolate – the proportion shrinks from 45 to 38 percent.
– “Cini Minis” from Nestlé: In addition to Nestlé, many other manufacturers still use palm oil instead of sunflower oil, to the detriment of consumers, because palm oil consists more of saturated fatty acids than sunflower oil and more often contains unwanted fat pollutants.
– “Griddies” by Agrarfrost: Also