Quality dumping in food: consumer advocates warn of skimpflation

Quality dumping in food: consumer advocates warn of skimpflation

Food manufacturers have come under criticism from the consumer advice center, which accuses them of skimping on the quality of their products by replacing more expensive ingredients with cheaper ones or omitting them in order to increase profit margins. This approach is known as “quality dumping” because companies aim to reduce raw material costs. Consumer advocates recommend being skeptical about advertising claims such as “new recipe” as this often indicates a deterioration in quality.

Quality changes, also known as “skimpflation,” are often presented by companies as adjustments to customer requirements rather than admitting cost savings through cheaper ingredients. This makes it difficult for consumers to identify such changes as they have to compare the ingredient lists of old and new products. The Hamburg consumer advice center has published a list of 28 affected products, including, for example, Knigsberger Klopse in caper sauce, in which the meat content has been drastically reduced.

In some products such as cream slices or pasta stew, lower-quality ingredients such as pork or pasta have been replaced with cheaper alternatives such as water, fillers or flavorings. These practices demonstrate that consumers need to be increasingly vigilant to ensure that the quality of the food they consume is not compromised due to manufacturers' austerity measures.