WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday called on snack companies to stop shrinkflation, which is when businesses cut product sizes but keep prices the same, describing the practice as “a rip-off.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Some companies are trying to pull a fast one by shrinking the products little by little and hoping you won’t notice,” Biden said in a video posted on X, opens new tab<\/u><\/a>, formerly known as Twitter, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Give me a break. The American public is tired of being played for suckers. I’m calling on companies to put a stop to this. Let’s make sure businesses do the right thing now,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden, who offered no solutions or policies to address the practice, did not name any specific companies but several brands were shown in the video, including Gatorade, Doritos, Breyers and Tostitos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We appreciate that the President has to deflect attention away from inflation that has lingered during his administration,” said David Chavern, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, in a statement. Chavern added that the group would like to work with Biden on “real solutions that benefit consumers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n PepsiCo (PEP.O), opens new tab<\/u><\/a>, whose brands include Gatorade, Doritos and Tostitos, and Unilever (ULVR.L), opens new tab<\/u><\/a>, which makes Breyers ice cream, were not immediately available for comment outside normal business hours. Reuters could also not immediately reach Mondelez (MDLZ.O), opens new tab<\/u><\/a>, maker of Oreos, and Campbell Soup (CPB.N), opens new tab<\/u><\/a>, which owns Goldfish crackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Bob Casey, who released a report, opens new tab<\/u><\/a>in December that showed the impact of smaller product sizes on everything from toilet paper to Oreos, told Reuters in a statement that he was working to how widespread such practices were and to hold companies accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report noted that household paper products were 34.9% more expensive per unit than they were in January 2019, with about 10.3% of the increase due to producers shrinking the sizes of rolls and packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It said the price of snacks like Oreos and Doritos had gone up 26.4% over the same period, with shrinking portions accounting for 9.8% percent of the increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for Casey said four major industry associations responded to his letters but none “took responsibility for price-gouging or answered his questions regarding pricing and transparency.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although inflation appears to be slowing, the economy remains Americans’ overall top concern<\/u><\/a>, cited by 22% of poll respondents, as they have struggled with inflation and other aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Reuters\/Ipsos poll released last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since taking office, Biden has made a pitch<\/u><\/a> for lower supermarket prices, pushed drug makers to lower insulin costs, hotel chains to reduce fees and tried to diversify<\/u><\/a> the meat-packing industry after beef prices skyrocketed in the aftermath of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n