«Sham pack of the year» 2022
Rama gets negative price
More air in the packaging and still higher prices: Consumer advocates were once again looking for the “deceptive package of the year”.
Published: 11 minutes ago
Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg organizes the election of the “deceptive package of the year” every year.
Rama is the “cheat pack of the year” 2022: Since last year, the spreadable fat from the manufacturer Upfield has been sold with 400 instead of 500 grams for the same price in a can of the same size. The product was 25 percent more expensive, as criticized by the Hamburg consumer center on Monday. Every year, it organizes the election of the “deceptive package of the year”.
Less content for the same price
Consumers can vote online on the allocation of the negative prize. This time, 34,293 people took part, more than twice as many as in the previous year, as the consumer advice center further announced. The list goes back to tips and complaints from the past year.
Five candidates were nominated
Leerdammer cheese from Lactalis also made it onto the list. In the pack of Leerdammer Original there are only 140 grams instead of 160 grams – at the same time the product recently cost more, resulting in price increases of up to 43 percent, according to the consumer advice center.
The Pringles were also nominated. The manufacturer Kellogg “secretly” reduced the filling quantity from 200 grams to 185 grams – with the same package size. The new filling quantity is “only in the small print”. At the same time, prices have increased in many places, resulting in increases of up to 25 percent. Other varieties of the brand are also affected. Kellogg responded as follows: “From time to time we adjust our pack sizes and formats to ensure we have the right pack size for different distribution channels and consumer eating habits.”
Less gold bears in the bag
The content of Haribo’s gold bears shrank from 200 to 175 grams per bag – an increase of 14 percent at the same price. Haribo reduced the size of the bags and provides information on its website – this makes the change more transparent, explained the consumer advocates. Haribo also justified the step, which affects many other products, with cost increases “to an unprecedented extent”, for example for ingredients, packaging material and energy.
Last but not least, the Reckitt Benckiser Calgon water softener is on the list. Here the manufacturer promises more washing loads per pack – for the same degree of hardness, however, up to 42 percent more powder is required according to the manufacturer’s dosage recommendation. Reckitt Benckiser referred to the need to implement an EU directive regarding the formulation of the powder.
The Hamburg consumer advice center called on the legislature to better protect consumers from hidden price increases. (AFP)