Enough to give you heartburn: Which? finds wave of shrinkflation striking coffee, toothpaste…and even Gaviscon
Consumers struggling with cost of living pressures also have a new wave of shrinkflation to contend with, Which? has found, as big brands cut back on the size or quality of popular products including toothpaste, coffee and even heartburn medicine.
The consumer champion asked shoppers to share some of the worst examples of shrinkflation they had seen at the supermarket in recent months and found that not only are some products getting smaller, others are also being downgraded as manufacturers skimp on key ingredients.
Among the worst examples of shrinkflation shared with Which? was Aquafresh Complete Care Original Toothpaste, which went from £1.30 for 100ml to £2 for 75ml at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado - a 105 per cent price rise per 100ml.
Also in the healthcare aisle, shoppers reported bottles of Gaviscon Heartburn and Indigestion Liquid shrinking from 600ml to 500ml. To make matters worse, Which? found that at Sainsbury’s the price also stayed at £14 - a 20 per cent rise per 100ml.
Which? also found that Sainsbury's Scottish Oats have shrunk from 1kg to 500g while the price increased from £1.25 to £2.10 - a 236 per cent rise per 100g.
It gets worse for those who like a cup of coffee with their porridge. Which? found Nescafe Original Instant Coffee had shrunk from 200g to 190g at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda - a rise of five per cent per 100g.
With chocolate as a commodity suffering some of the highest rates of inflation over the last couple of years, many of the examples Which? looked at involved whole chocolate bars missing from multipacks.
In one example, Which? found KitKat Two-Finger Milk Chocolate Bar multipacks went from 21 bars to 18. At Ocado the price also rose from £3.60 to £5.50 - a jump of 53 per cent.
Shoppers looking to stock up on chocolate tubs for the festive season may notice lighter boxes this year. Which? found Quality Street chocolate tubs have been reduced from 600g to 550g. The price for this new, smaller tub at Morrisons went from £6 to £7 this year - a hike of 27 per cent per 100g.
Meanwhile, Cadbury’s multipacks of Freddo and Fudge bars both went from five bars to four at Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco yet the price of £1.40 didn’t change - a 25 per cent increase per chocolate bar.
The Terry’s chocolate orange ball toffee crunch price of £2 did not change but the size went from 152g to 145g at Tesco - a 5 per cent increase.
As well as products getting smaller, Which? also received reports of some of the nation’s favourite treats missing key ingredients as manufacturers find ways to cut costs.
Which? found a reduced amount of cocoa butter (less than 20%) in White KitKats means they can no longer be marketed as a white chocolate product.
Similar, widely reported, issues were found with McVitie’s favourites including Penguin and Club bars that can no longer be lawfully sold as a chocolate biscuit because they contain more palm oil and shea oil than cocoa.
Also subject to skimpflation, McVitie’s white digestives do not contain any cocoa butter at all and so can also not be marketed as a white chocolate biscuit.
Which? believes that any changes, whether to the size of a product or to the recipe, should be clear so that consumers can make an informed choice about whether a product is right for them or seek an alternative.
Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said:
“Households are already under immense financial pressure with food bills inching up and the expense of Christmas looming on the horizon, so it can feel especially sneaky when manufacturers quietly reduce pack sizes or downgrade key ingredients.
“Supermarkets must be more upfront about their prices so that it’s easy to see what the best value is. This includes ensuring that their unit pricing is prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online to help customers easily compare costs across different brands and sizes of packaging - that way shoppers can be more confident they’re getting the best value.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Research:
In autumn 2025, Which? asked readers to share examples of shrink and skimpflation they had encountered. Which? also verified these examples.
SHRINKFLATION EXAMPLES
Aquafresh Complete Care Original Toothpaste which went from £1.30 for 100ml to £2 for 75ml at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado - a 105 per cent price rise per 100ml.
Gaviscon Heartburn and Indigestion liquid shrunk from 600ml to 500ml. At Sainsbury’s the price also stayed at £14 - a 20% rise per 100ml.
KitKat Two-Finger Milk Chocolate Bar multipack went from 21 bars to 18. At Ocado the price also rose from £3.60 to £5.50 - a jump of 53%.
Quality Street chocolates also took a hit as tubs went from 600g to 550g. At Morrisons the price went from £6 last year to £7 this year - a hike of 27% per 100g.
Cadbury’s multipacks of Freddo and Fudge bars both went from five bars to four at Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco while prices didn’t change - a 25 per cent increase per chocolate bar.
Sainsbury’s Scottish Oats went from 1kg to 500g (and the price increased from £1.25 to £2.10)
Nescafe Original Instant Coffee went from 200g - 190g at Tesco, Morrisons, Asda
Terry’s chocolate orange ball toffee crunch went from 152g to 145g at Tesco
SKIMPFLATION EXAMPLES
Penguin (McVitie’s) can no longer be lawfully sold as a chocolate biscuit because it contains more palm oil and shea oil than cocoa.
Club (McVitie’s) can no longer be lawfully sold as a chocolate biscuit because it contains more palm oil and shea oil than cocoa. Changed to chocolate flavour coating rather than chocolate coating earlier this year.
White Kit Kats (Nestle) can no longer be marketed as a white chocolate product because it does not contain 20% cocoa butter.
Right of replies:
Which? approached all of the manufacturers and retailers involved.
A spokesperson for Mondelez International (which makes Cadbury products) said:
“We understand the economic pressures that consumers continue to face and any changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business. However, as a food producer, we are continuing to experience significantly higher input costs across our supply chain, with ingredients such as cocoa and dairy, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously. Meanwhile, other costs like energy and transport, also remain high. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges.
"As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Fudge and Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.”
A spokesman for Nestle said:
Regarding the Nescafe Original Instant Coffee:
“Like every manufacturer, we have seen significant increases in the cost of coffee, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products. As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible. To maintain the same high quality and delicious taste that consumers know and love, it has sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the weight or size of some of our products. Retail pricing is always at the discretion of individual retailers.”
White Kit Kat:
“The ‘coating' description on KitKat White is accurate and compliant to describe the ingredients used in the recipe.
“We regularly review our recipes to balance quality, affordability, and sustainability. Like every manufacturer, we’ve seen significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years making it much more expensive to manufacture our products. As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible. To continue to offer shoppers great value, it is sometimes necessary to adjust recipes of some of our products. Retail pricing is at the discretion of individual retailers.”
A spokesperson for the Food & Drink Federation said:
“Cocoa prices rose sharply last year, reaching a 45-year high. Alongside other rising costs – such as national insurance increases and a new packaging tax – manufacturers are paying nearly 40% more for ingredients and energy than they were in January 2020. As a result, in some cases food manufacturers will have had to make changes to products to continue offering shoppers the food and drink they love at reasonable price points.”
Background:
Between Jan 2020 and Sep 2025, manufacturers’ inputs costs, such as ingredients and energy (excluding labour cost, regulatory costs or costs of finance), rose by 39%. Retail prices of food rose by 37%
Over a fifth (22%) of food and drink manufacturers have seen costs increase by 10% or more in the last year (FDF Q1 State of Industry report)
Which? launches new brand platform
Which? has launched its new brand platform, "The Power in You", to empower consumers to take control, challenge unfair practices, and make confident choices. The campaign, launching on Channel 4 on 28 October, highlights key consumer issues such as shrinkflation and declining product quality, showing how everyday consumers can stand up to unfair practices.
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Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.
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