High prices are one of the biggest daily challenges for millions of consumers. As the cost of living rises and purchasing power shrinks, households face not only obvious price increases on store shelves but also less visible market practices.
The most typical of these is shrinkflation, which turns the routine trip to the supermarket into a constant strain on people’s wallets. How does it work, how can we protect ourselves, and what are the rules in Europe and Greece?
What is supermarket shrinkflation?
“[Shoppers] buy the same product in the same packaging, but they will buy less for the same price,” said Loïc de Hults, a senior associate at the law firm CMS Belgium.
The practice is not new, but it has become more common in Europe since inflation surged in 2022.
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In 2019, a French syrup maker reduced its bottles from 750ml to 600ml, and consumer group Foodwatch later reported a price increase of more than 37% per liter. In Germany, one brand cut its chocolate bars from 100g to 90g, which led to a court ruling against the company in May 2026. Another company also introduced smaller 75g chocolate bars in 2026, compared with the standard 100g size.
According to a 2025 European Commission report, 74% of consumers have noticed that products are getting smaller without getting cheaper.
The main driver is rising production costs. “Some manufacturers are considering reducing packaging and quantities to maintain prices, rather than raising them,” said Christel Delberghe, director general of EuroCommerce, which represents European retailers and wholesalers.
Same package, less product
Manufacturers have several ways to shrink products, from leaving empty space in bags to using thicker packaging or raised bases.
This strategy takes advantage of a psychological blind spot: reductions of just 5% to 7% can go unnoticed. Some companies also advertise a “new recipe” or “improved quality” without drawing attention to changes in quantity.
Shoppers should watch for changes in net weight, fewer items in multipacks or packaging that is unusually large compared with its contents. Checking the price per kilo or liter on shelf labels also helps when comparing products.
The rules in Europe
Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices across the EU rose by about 33% between 2021 and 2025. Even so, the EU has no law that specifically targets shrinkflation. Instead, it requires food packaging to show the net quantity and supermarkets to display prices per kilo or liter, while the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive bans “misleading practices.” De Hults believes these laws already offer some protection.
On July 15, 2025, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection held a public hearing on how practices such as shrinkflation and dynamic pricing affect shoppers. This led to a question to the Commission on whether existing consumer law was enough to deal with shrinkflation.
The Commission defended the current rules, pointing to mandatory weight labels and unit prices as ways for consumers to spot price increases. It said national authorities must enforce the law and promised to keep monitoring the market.
Shrinkflation in Greece
Shrinkflation continues to concern Greek households, as consumers often pay more without realizing it. According to data from 2025-2026, the categories with the most “shrinkage” are:
- Dairy: Yogurts and cheeses (fewer grams per package).
- Grocery staples: Pasta, legumes and rice.
- Snacks and sweets: Chocolates and potato chips.
- Personal care and household items: Toilet paper (fewer meters or sheets per roll) and detergents.
Greece has a rule requiring mandatory labeling on products whose quantity is reduced without a corresponding drop in price.
Regulations in other countries
Consumer groups are calling for stricter rules, and several countries have acted on their own. Since July 2024, French supermarkets larger than 400 square meters must warn shoppers when products shrink but their price per kilo or liter goes up. Stores must display the old and new quantities, along with the price increase, for two months, or face fines of up to €15,000.
Austria introduced similar rules in April 2026, requiring larger supermarkets and health and beauty stores to flag products that shrink while their unit price rises by at least 3%. Romania also introduced mandatory notices in 2024, while Belgium has discussed similar legislation but has not yet adopted it.
De Hults warned that differing national rules could complicate matters for manufacturers selling across Europe. “If we are talking about packaging, it needs to be regulated at the EU level. Otherwise, it will be very complicated for manufacturers,” he said.
EuroCommerce disagrees. “Adding another layer of regulation will not necessarily change much for consumers, but it will certainly add more regulatory burdens, costs, reporting obligations and uncertainty for retailers,” Delberghe said.