ItB次元官网网址檚 the inflation youB次元官网网址檙e not supposed to see.

From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. ItB次元官网网址檚 dubbed B次元官网网址渟hrinkflation,B次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 accelerating worldwide.

In the U.S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have shrunk from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces. In the U.K., Nestle slimmed down its Nescafe Azera Americano coffee tins from 100 grams to 90 grams. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap has shrunk from 155 grams to 135 grams.

Shrinkflation isnB次元官网网址檛 new, experts say. But it proliferates in times of high inflation as companies grapple with rising costs for ingredients, packaging, labor and transportation. Global consumer price inflation was up an estimated 7% in May, a pace that will likely continue through September, according to S&P Global.

B次元官网网址淚t comes in waves. We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment because of inflation,B次元官网网址� said Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts who has documented shrinkflation on his Consumer World website for decades.

Dworsky began noticing smaller boxes in the cereal aisle last fall, and shrinkflation has ballooned from there. He can cite dozens of examples, from Cottonelle Ultra Clean Care toilet paper, which has shrunk from 340 sheets per roll to 312, to Folgers coffee, which downsized its 51-ounce container to 43.5 ounces but still says it will make up to 400 cups. (Folgers says itB次元官网网址檚 using a new technology that results in lighter-weight beans.)

Dworsky said shrinkflation appeals to manufacturers because they know customers will notice price increases but wonB次元官网网址檛 keep track of net weights or small details, like the number of sheets on a roll of toilet paper. Companies can also employ tricks to draw attention away from downsizing, like marking smaller packages with bright new labels that draw shoppersB次元官网网址� eyes.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 what Fritos did. Bags of Fritos Scoops marked B次元官网网址淧arty SizeB次元官网网址� used to be 18 ounces; some are still on sale at a grocery chain in Texas. But almost every other big chain is now advertising B次元官网网址淧arty SizeB次元官网网址� Fritos Scoops that are 15.5 ounces B次元官网网址� and more expensive.

PepsiCo didnB次元官网网址檛 respond when asked about Fritos. But it did acknowledge the shrinking of Gatorade bottles. The company recently began phasing out 32-ounce bottles in favor of 28-ounce ones, which are tapered in the middle to make it easier to hold them. The changeover has been in the works for years and isnB次元官网网址檛 related to the current economic climate, PepsiCo said. But it didnB次元官网网址檛 respond when asked why the 28-ounce version is more expensive.

Likewise, Kimberly-Clark B次元官网网址� which makes both Cottonelle and Kleenex B次元官网网址� didnB次元官网网址檛 respond to requests for comment on the reduced package sizes. Proctor & Gamble Co. didnB次元官网网址檛 respond when asked about Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection conditioner, which downsized from 12 fluid ounces to 10.4 fluid ounces but still costs $3.99.

EarthB次元官网网址檚 Best Organic Sunny Day Snack Bars went from eight bars per box to seven, but the price listed at multiple stores remains $3.69. Hain Celestial Group, the brandB次元官网网址檚 owner, didnB次元官网网址檛 respond to an email seeking comment.

Some companies are straightforward about the changes. In Japan, snack maker Calbee Inc. announced 10% weight reductions B次元官网网址� and 10% price increases B次元官网网址� for many of its products in May, including veggie chips and crispy edamame. The company blamed a sharp rise in the cost of raw materials.

DominoB次元官网网址檚 Pizza announced in January it was shrinking the size of its 10-piece chicken wings to eight pieces for the same $7.99 carryout price. DominoB次元官网网址檚 cited the rising cost of chicken.

In India, B次元官网网址渄own-switchingB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� another term for shrinkflation B次元官网网址� is mostly done in rural areas, where people are poorer and more price sensitive, said Byas Anand, head of corporate communications for Dabur India, a consumer care and food business. In cities, companies simply jack up prices.

B次元官网网址淢y company has been doing it openly for ages,B次元官网网址� Anand said.

Some customers who have noticed the downsizing are sharing examples on social media. Others say shrinkflation is causing them to change their shopping habits.

Alex Aspacher does a lot of the grocery shopping and meal planning for his family of four in Haskins, Ohio. He noticed when the one-pound package of sliced Swiss cheese he used to buy shrank to 12 ounces but kept its $9.99 price tag. Now, he hunts for deals or buys a block of cheese and slices it himself.

Aspacher said he knew prices would rise when he started reading about higher wages for grocery workers. But the speed of the change B次元官网网址� and the shrinking packages B次元官网网址� have surprised him.

B次元官网网址淚 was prepared for it to a degree, but there hasnB次元官网网址檛 been a limit to it so far,B次元官网网址� Aspacher said. B次元官网网址淚 hope we find that ceiling pretty soon.B次元官网网址�

Sometimes the trend can reverse. As inflation eases, competition might force manufacturers to lower their prices or reintroduce larger packages. But Dworsky says once a product has gotten smaller, it often stays that way.

B次元官网网址淯psizing is kind of rare,B次元官网网址� he said.

Hitendra Chaturvedi, a professor of supply chain management at Arizona State UniversityB次元官网网址檚 W.P. Carey School of Business, said he has no doubt many companies are struggling with labor shortages and higher raw material costs.

But in some cases, companiesB次元官网网址� profits B次元官网网址� or sales minus the cost of doing business B次元官网网址� are also increasing exponentially, and Chaturvedi finds that troubling.

He points to Mondelez International, which took some heat this spring for shrinking the size of its Cadbury Dairy Milk bar in the U.K. without lowering the price. The companyB次元官网网址檚 operating income climbed 21% in 2021, but fell 15% in the first quarter as cost pressures grew. By comparison, PepsiCoB次元官网网址檚 operating profit climbed 11% in 2021 and 128% in the first quarter.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not saying theyB次元官网网址檙e profiteering, but it smells like it,B次元官网网址� Chaturvedi said. B次元官网网址淎re we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擠ee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press