Less product and the same price? The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection intervenes

– You are buying a product that you have known for years. The packaging looks identical, the price is the same. At first glance, everything seems unchanged. Only after purchasing you notice that there is less product inside than before: there was 100 g of chocolate – there is only 90 g, instead of a kilogram of flour – there is 900 g, the bottle is no longer a liter – it is 800 ml, and instead of 20 cookies in the package there are 17. This phenomenon is called downsizing or shrinkflation, i.e. a reduction in the weight or volume of products by producers. – explains the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK).

A study commissioned by the Office two years ago shows that consumers most often indicated downsizing in the case of food products, especially dairy products and sweets.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection emphasizes that producers are obliged to provide information on the weight, volume or number of pieces on the packaging. If they decide to reduce the product, they must indicate the new grammage.

For items purchased regularly, consumers may not notice this change, especially if the price and packaging remain the same.

Danone, Nestlé and other companies under the scrutiny of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) initiated explanatory proceedings against Danone, Mondelez, Nestlé and Unilever, some of the largest producers of food, cleaning products and care products operating on the Polish market. The Office checks whether these companies reliably informed about the reduction in the quantity or weight of the products, as well as whether the appearance, size or graphic design of the packaging did not give the false impression that the product had not been reduced. If his method of presenting or transmitting information about changes was misleading to consumers, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection may bring charges.

– Reducing the quantity or weight of a product must be communicated honestly. If the appearance of the packaging does not suggest changes, consumers may not notice the difference. Reducing the grammage without changing the price actually means that we pay more for the product. This makes it difficult for consumers to compare prices and weakens their trust in entrepreneurs – emphasizes Tomasz Chróstny, president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

The head of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection points out that the recent ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in case C-301/25 is of significant importance in this case. The EU tribunal confirmed that even if a product meets the requirements of food law, i.e. after reducing its weight, it has the correct indication of weight or volume, this does not exclude the assessment of this practice in terms of misleading consumers under the provisions on unfair market practices.

– Downsizing is not a new phenomenon. However, the CJEU ruling is new, which clearly confirmed the possibility of assessing such practices also from the perspective of consumer protection. Entrepreneurs should inform about changes in product weight in a clear and legible manner. We check whether they communicate such changes reliably, so that consumers know not only how much they pay, but also how much product they receive after the change. This is necessary for them to make informed purchasing decisions – sums up Chróstny.