Skimpflation: 30 documented recipe downgrades
Same pack, same price, less of the good stuff. These are sourced cases where a product kept its size but the recipe or material got cheaper: less meat, oil or protein, a cheaper ingredient, a weaker dose. They come from foodwatch.org, konsument.at, konsumentenfragen.at, mouseprint.org, thegrocer.co.uk, which.co.uk, covering 4 countries.
These are not size cuts. They are kept out of our shrinkflation case library, the statistics and the ShrinkRadar Index, which count only smaller net quantities. Where a product was downsized as well, the size cut is listed separately in the library.
Less meat or fish 11
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Waitrose butter chicken curry Waitrose · United Kingdom · 2024 | chicken share: 47% → 41% | which.co.uk |
| Tesco beef lasagne (1.5 kg) Tesco · United Kingdom · 2024 | beef share: 23% → 19% | which.co.uk |
| Tesco Tex Mex chicken enchiladas (480 g) Tesco · United Kingdom · 2024 | chicken share: 27% → 20% | which.co.uk |
| Tesco Finest sausages Tesco · United Kingdom · 2024 | pork share: 97% → 90% | which.co.uk |
| Sainsbury's Taste the Difference lasagne (400 g) Sainsbury's · United Kingdom · 2024 | beef share: 28% → 26% | which.co.uk |
| Morrisons The Best Lasagne al Forno (400 g) Morrisons · United Kingdom · 2024 | beef share: 30% → 26% | which.co.uk |
| Fleury Michon hachés à poêler au jambon Fleury Michon · France · 2024 | pork ham share: 83% → 35% Ham share went 83% (before 2020), 75% (2020), 48% plus 11% pork fillet (2023), then 35% ham plus 33% 'pork meat'. Price per kilo up 29% since 2020; the pack also shrank from 2 × 200 g to 2 × 190 g. | foodwatch.org |
| Fleury Michon Le Moelleux fish sticks Fleury Michon · France · 2024 | fish share: 43% → 38% Price per kilo up 40% after inflation (Auchan). | foodwatch.org |
| Bordeau Chesnel chicken spread (poulet rôti en cocotte) Bordeau Chesnel · France · 2024 | chicken share: 90% → 85% Price per kilo up 31% after inflation (Super U). | foodwatch.org |
| Findus colin d'Alaska à la bordelaise Findus · France · 2023 | fish share: 75% → 71% April 2023. The pack also shrank from 400 g to 380 g; price per kilo up 47% after inflation (Auchan). | foodwatch.org |
| Le Gaulois cordon bleu escalope, chicken Le Gaulois · France · 2022 | cured chicken share: 58% → 54% Emmental cut from 5% to 3% and breadcrumbs raised from 22% to 26% (April 2022). foodwatch: price per kilo up 25% after inflation by March 2024 (Leclerc). | foodwatch.org |
Watered down (less oil or fat) 5
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial margarine spread (Flora) Imperial · United States · 2025 | vegetable oil share: 53% → 48% Water is now the first ingredient. Imperial was 80% oil when advertised in the 1970s. | mouseprint.org |
| Yeo Valley spreadable butter Yeo Valley · United Kingdom · 2024 | butter share: 54% → 50% | which.co.uk |
| Wish-Bone House Italian dressing (Conagra) Wish-Bone · United States · 2023 | oil content cut by over 22%, about 30% more salt Mouse Print says the oil appears to have been replaced with water; garlic was also reduced. | mouseprint.org |
| Smart Balance buttery spread (Conagra) Smart Balance · United States · 2022 | oil share: 64% → 39% After thousands of one-star reviews Conagra brought the original recipe back in 2023 (Mouse Print, August 2023). | mouseprint.org |
| Aldi 45 oz margarine tub (store brand) Aldi · United States · 2018 | oil content cut by over 20% Water became the first ingredient, after price rises from $1.79 to $1.99 to $2.29 earlier that year. | mouseprint.org |
Cheaper ingredient swap 5
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reese's miniature hearts and Mini Eggs Unwrapped (Hershey) Reese's · United States · 2026 | milk chocolate and peanut butter replaced by 'chocolate candy' and 'peanut butter creme' Raised by Brad Reese, grandson of the inventor; Mouse Print says the 2025 mini hearts may also have lacked real peanut butter. The packs now say 'Chocolate Candy' and list vegetable oils where cocoa butter stood. The original Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were not changed. | mouseprint.org |
| McVitie's Club, Penguin and White Digestives (Pladis) McVitie's · United Kingdom · 2025 | chocolate coating replaced by a 'chocolate flavour' coating The Grocer: Pladis reformulated Club, Penguin and White Digestives, swapping chocolate coatings for a chocolate-flavour alternative made with palm and shea oil; McVitie's volume sales fell 16.6%. | thegrocer.co.uk |
| Milka Sensations choco cookies (Mondelez) Milka · France · 2024 | sunflower oil replaced by palm oil The swap began under Ukraine-war derogations in April 2022 and stayed after they ended in January 2024. Price per kilo up 27% after inflation (Casino, 182 g vs 208 g pack). | foodwatch.org |
| After Eight mints (Nestlé) After Eight · France · 2024 | vegetable fats including palm oil added Between late 2021 and 2024; price per kilo up 7.4% after inflation (Carrefour). | foodwatch.org |
| Siggi's vanilla skyr (Lactalis-Nestlé) Siggi's · France · 2023 | agave syrup share: 5% → 6.3% More sweetener in the recipe (February 2023); foodwatch: price per kilo up 13% after inflation by March 2024 (U). | foodwatch.org |
Less protein 3
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kellogg's Special K Protein cereal Kellogg's · United States · 2026 | protein per serving: 15 g → 10 g Wheat gluten, a protein source, was removed. Mouse Print reported it in September 2026; the change came earlier. | mouseprint.org |
| Healthy Choice Power Bowls, renamed Protein Bowls Healthy Choice · United States · 2026 | protein per 9.75 oz bowl: 26 g → 22 g Same 9.75 oz bowl under a new name. Mouse Print thinks the chicken stayed the same but pinto beans were cut for more leafy greens. | mouseprint.org |
| Hungry-Man Double Chicken Bowl, fried chicken Hungry-Man · United States · 2022 | protein per 15 oz box: 39 g → 33 g | mouseprint.org |
Less of the key ingredient 3
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ruben's pistachio cream (Austria) Ruben's · Austria · 2026 | pistachio share: 45% → 15% Shortly after it won the VKI taste check for pistachio creams in December 2025, the recipe was changed; price and packaging stayed the same. Nominated for the KONSUM-Ente 2026 for skimpflation. | konsumentenfragen.at |
| Morrisons guacamole (150 g) Morrisons · United Kingdom · 2024 | avocado share: 80% → 77% | which.co.uk |
| Maille Fins Gourmets mayonnaise (Unilever) Maille · France · 2024 | egg yolk share: 9.3% → 7% foodwatch: more oil appears to have been added; price per kilo up 12.16% after inflation (Intermarché). | foodwatch.org |
Less material 2
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clever bin bags, 25 litres (Rewe own brand) Clever · Austria · 2024 | thinner bags, same number per roll A shopper said the bags tear more easily. Rewe confirmed a new material mix and thinner film; the count per roll and the price (unchanged since March 2022) stayed the same. | konsument.at |
| Scott 1000 toilet paper Scott · United States · 2022 | about 20% less paper by weight than in 2006 Still 1,000 sheets; Mouse Print weighed a 2006 four-pack against a current one, allowing for the change in sheet size. | mouseprint.org |
Diluted dose 1
| Product | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CVS Health Tussin DM cough syrup (store brand) CVS Health · United States · 2021 | ml per dose for the same active ingredients: 10 ml → 20 ml Strength halved: each bottle holds half as many doses. CVS says it followed the national brand's 2021 reformulation. Mouse Print found Kroger's store brand changed too. | mouseprint.org |
Every row was checked against a saved copy of its source page. Know a well-documented case? Send it in.
FAQ
What is skimpflation?
Skimpflation is when the pack size and price stay the same but the product gets worse: less meat, oil or protein in the recipe, a cheaper ingredient swapped in, a weaker dose, or thinner material. You pay the same for less of what you were buying it for.
How is skimpflation different from shrinkflation?
Shrinkflation is a smaller net quantity: the number on the label goes down. Skimpflation leaves that number alone and changes what is inside. Our main library and the ShrinkRadar Index count only size cuts; the downgrades on this page are logged separately and never counted as size cuts.
How can I spot skimpflation?
Compare the ingredient list and the percentages on old and new packs (in the UK and EU the main ingredient's share is usually printed, for example “pork 90%”). Check the nutrition panel for protein or fat per serving, and for medicines the dose and the amount of active ingredient per ml.
Which skimpflation changes are biggest here?
Fleury Michon hachés à poêler au jambon: pork ham share from 83% to 35% (France, source: foodwatch.org).