Same price. Smaller pack. Did it really get more expensive?

The shelf price can stay still while the price per bite quietly rises.

When a product gets smaller but keeps the same sticker price, the change is easy to miss. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics studies package-size changes separately in a research index designed to estimate this effect. It is commonly called shrinkflation.

Try the comparison yourself: divide the price by the amount in the package. A $4 pack with 500 grams costs 80 cents per 100 grams. If the next pack is still $4 but contains 450 grams, it costs about 89 cents per 100 grams—roughly 11% more for the same amount.

At the shelf: compare unit prices, not just the large number on the tag. Package sizes can change in either direction, so check the label instead of assuming.

The example is arithmetic, not a claim about a particular brand.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, research CPI without product-size changes.