Hong Kong consumer watchdog uncovers widespread shrinkflation among supermarket products
Consumer Council finds weight or volume of large majority of surveyed supermarket products cut by as much as 30 per cent while maintaining prices
The consumer watchdog shared the results of its research on Tuesday, urging retailers to be more transparent by disclosing any changes in size on packaging or the unit prices of items.
“The council is of the view that consumers are the ultimate stakeholders affected and the parties that pay, and [manufacturers or sellers] have the responsibility to clearly state volume or weight changes of goods on the packaging or at the point of sale,” said Victor Lam Hoi-cheung, chairman of the council’s publicity and community relations committee.
He said the watchdog’s efforts were aimed at promoting product information transparency and protecting consumers.
The watchdog selected 62 products from its “Online Price Watch” tool with volume or weight changes between January 2021 and July 2024, covering food items, daily necessities and pet food.
Among the surveyed items, 58 had their contents downsized by 1.3 per cent to 30 per cent, while 25 were reduced by at least 10 per cent.
