Not talking about covid-induced taste bud failure.
From The Takeout, December 15:
You've heard of shrinkflation, but what about skimpflation?
If you swear your go-to snacks and candies all seem to taste different—and worse—these days and you can’t quite put your finger on why, you’re not alone. Business Insider has taken a deep dive into food manufacturers’ increasing adoption of what BI calls skimpflation or flavorflation, aka modifying recipes in order to (you guessed it!) maintain or increase profit margins.
Our favorite foods are being made from worse ingredients
Ingredient costs, obviously, are a huge factor in the pricing of any consumer product. Just like anything, ingredient costs can and do go up, leaving food manufacturers trying to figure out if they should raise the cost of their products or, alternatively, tinker with their recipes, finding ways to cut down on expenses. Since customers don’t like paying higher prices for the same product, you can guess what some corporations choose to do.This means that products can become a watered-down version of themselves—sometimes literally. Business Insider cites an instance of Conagra reducing the fat content in its Wish-Bone House Italian Dressing by 10%, replacing it with additional salt and... water. (Don’t worry, I’m actively getting mad thinking about this too.)
In 2013, Breyers, the ice cream of my childhood, had to legally change the labeling of its products from ice cream to “frozen dairy dessert.” Why? Because the company had reduced the amount of dairy fat in its product to the point that it didn’t legally qualify as ice cream anymore. With ice cream, it’s important to note that some novelties have to be labeled as frozen dairy desserts (as opposed to ice cream) due to the quantity of mix-ins, or toppings, that change the density of the end product, explains Allrecipes. In all cases, check the label to make sure you don’t bring home a product that bums you out....
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