German Court Ruling Highlights Shrinkflation Trend

Over the past year, shoppers on Reddit have posted side‑by‑side photos showing a range of everyday items that have been reduced in size or quantity while the packaging stays the same. Examples include a Colgate toothpaste tube cut from 5 oz to 4 oz, a Don Francisco’s coffee can shrunk from 12 oz to 10 oz, a Tide detergent bottle offering 100 loads instead of 115, and an Alpen muesli box that holds 50 g less despite a larger‑looking package.

The practice, known as shrinkflation, is now being examined by courts. In a recent decision, the Regional Court of Bremen in Germany ruled that Mondelēz International’s Milka Alpenmilch bar, reduced from 100 g to 90 g while keeping identical packaging, did not provide sufficient notice to consumers. The court said a clear and prominent label for at least four months would be required, deeming the unlabelled reduction misleading. Similar legal scrutiny has appeared in Austria and France, where regulators are moving to require explicit consumer information on reduced‑size products.