Supermarket classic secretly cheats customers with a 25 percent price increase

Created: 08/17/2022, 09:47 am

By: Lisa Siegle

It is well known that many companies are currently increasing the prices for their products.

However, some cheat customers on secret price increases.

Germany – The prices in supermarkets are currently skyrocketing for many products.

The reasons are obvious with scarcity of resources due to the Ukraine war and inflation.

But while many companies are currently openly communicating their price increases, other companies are secretly changing their prices – without customers noticing.

The consumer advice center is currently denouncing a company that has secretly increased the prices of many of its products - thanks to "shrinkflation", as RUHR24 reports.

Supermarket classic Upfield secretly cheats customers with a 25 percent price increase at Rama

With the so-called "shrinkflation", the price remains the same, but the filling quantity changes - and this is exactly what leads consumers astray.

A well-known company has apparently secretly raised the prices for several products so brazenly that the consumer advice center has taken notice and publicly denounced the company.

Specifically, it is Upfield GmbH, which produces margarine products such as Rama or Lätta, among other things.

"Rama the classic" has now been voted "deceptive pack of the month August" by the consumer advice center.

The spread was normally sold in the 500g pack for 2.19 euros at Edeka, Netto, Penny, Lidl, Aldi Nord and Kaufland.

Since August 2022, however, it has suddenly only contained 400 grams.

And the price?

It stayed the same.

All in all, customers are now paying 25 percent more – without most of them consciously noticing.

Incidentally, Haribo recently used the same trick and reduced the Goldbären bag from 200 grams to 175 grams.

Rama, Lätta and Co.: The Upfield company changes the filling quantity of margarine

"Rama the Classic" is not the only product that Upfield GmbH has recently "miniaturized" while keeping the price the same.

The filling quantity has also been changed for these products:

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• Rama Balance: from 500g to 450g

• Sanella margarine: from 500 to 400g

• Lätta Original from 500g to 450g or from 250g to 225g

• Lätta yogurt from 500g to 450g

• Lätta Extra Fit from 500g to 450g

• Becel Classic from 250g to 225g and from 500g to 450g

• Becel Vital from 250g to 225g

• Becel Gold from 250g to 225g

• Becel ProActiv from 250g to 225g

Illusion?

Rama capacity will decrease, but price and packaging will remain the same

Particularly bitter: According to the consumer advice center, customers are apparently obviously being deceived, because not only does the price remain the same despite less content - the packaging is not reduced either.

The consumer advice center denounces this approach as "particularly bold" and explains: "In our view, Upfield is faking more content, because of course you can't look into the package before buying it." In terms of sustainability, the larger packaging is less content According to the consumer advice center "no masterpiece".

Upfield GmbH explains the price increase in a statement as follows: “Like most food companies, we have experienced dramatic cost increases throughout our supply chain, including our raw materials.

Wherever possible we absorb these costs (...) However, the fact is that our products cost a lot more to manufacture today than they did a year ago and this has had an impact on our prices.” Upfield also justifies itself by saying that that the change in quantity is "clearly recognizable on our packaging".

Supermarket prices will continue to rise in 2022.

© Gottfried Czepluch/Imago

Consumer advice center denounces Upfield because of Rama: filling quantity is reduced while the price remains the same

According to the consumer center, it is not the first time that Upfield GmbH has increased the prices of its margarine products: in 2008, a 500 gram pack with 80 percent fat usually cost 1.09 euros.

Today you can get the 400 gram cup with 60 percent fat for the price of 2.19 euros.

And: In addition to "normal price increases" and shrinkage of the filling quantity, the margarine price has also increased in recent years because fat has been partially replaced by "spreadable water".

However, Öko-Test has also discovered mineral oil in many of the margarines tested.

It is still unclear how far prices will rise as a result of inflation and the Ukraine war.

However, one thing is certain: honesty is the best policy – ​​and it doesn't leave consumers with a bad feeling either.