You feel it every time you shop: the bag is smaller, the price isn’t. Shrinkflation — less product for the same money — is exactly what the Competition Bureau is investigating right now.
So we decided to measure it for real.
How: every week, we record each tracked product’s package size (from flyer descriptions) alongside its price per kilogram. Eight weeks of data, hundreds of products compared week over week. The result: 40 products shrank — 33% less product on average.
The worst cases we caught:
| Product | Size before | Size after | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatorade powder | 10 packs | 6 packs | -40% |
| Kraft Miracle Whip | 750 ml | 455 ml | -39% |
| Haribo gummies | 284 g | 175 g | -38% |
| Cool Runnings coconut water | 500 ml | 310 ml | -38% |
| Fibre 1 bars | 175 g | 125 g | -29% |
| Heinz mayo-style sauce | 455 ml | 340 ml | -25% |
| Saputo mozzarella sticks | 400 g | 320 g | -20% |
| PC Shredded cheese | 400 g | 320 g | -20% |
| Glacéau Smart Water | 700 ml | 591 ml | -16% |
| Oîkos Greek yogurt | 750 g | 650 g | -13% |
Here’s the kicker: when the package shrinks, the per-unit price jumps. Miracle Whip went from $6.65/L to $10.97/L. Fibre 1 bars: $16.97/kg to $23.76/kg. You’re paying more for less — which is precisely what the Competition Bureau is examining.
How to protect yourself
- Check the unit price, not the total price. A “2 for $6” can hide a shrunken format.
- Know your usual formats. If your regular chip bag drops from 235g to 200g at the same price, that’s shrinkflation.
- Compare house brands. They shrink slower than big brands — and start cheaper.
These national brands are sold everywhere in Canada — check your local store. We track them week after week at samoto.app: every deal shows the unit price, and our live Shrinkflation page shows which packages are getting smaller. Because the price is only “real” if you know what’s in the package.
