The practice of "cheapflation" – reducing ingredients, eliminating them or replacing them with cheaper or lower quality substitutes – is on the rise in Belgium.
On Tuesday, the consumer protection organisation Foodwatch singled out six products from major brands whose composition had been altered while their prices rose, often without the knowledge of consumers at a time of inflation.
This practice of reducing ingredients, removing them or replacing them with cheaper or lower-quality substitutes has been dubbed "cheapflation" – a contraction of "cheap" and "inflation."
Foodwatch points to Fleury Michon surimi sticks, for example, which now contain 11% less fish meat even though the price per kilo has risen by 40% between 2021 and 2023. The association also cites Maille mayonnaise (a Unilever brand), Milka chocolate (Mondelez), Bordeau Chesnel rillettes, After Eight chocolates (Nestlé) and Findus fish (Nomad Foods).
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"We have identified examples going back as far as 2016, well before the start of the rise in food prices," said Foodwatch on its website. "The phenomenon is therefore not recent, but inflation could have encouraged manufacturers to resort to these practices."
"We questioned the manufacturers, who generally justify these changes by a rise in the price of raw materials during a period of inflation," they said, adding that this in no way excuses the lack of transparency surrounding changes to recipes or formats, or the associated price rises.
Food prices, the main driver of inflation in 2023 with a peak of almost 16% in the spring, have since begun to slow down, rising by 'just' 5.7% year-on-year in January 2024.
