How the record works
Shrinkflation is a product getting smaller while the price doesn't. It is legal in Canada, and it is easy to miss. Shrinkflated keeps a public record of it, built from barcodes, shelf photos and published reports.
Recipe changes
Some products keep the size and change what's inside: less of the main ingredient, a cheaper ingredient swapped in, fillers or water added, or less protein, fibre or fruit. We record these as recipe changes, with the before and after copied from the ingredient list or nutrition panel. We say what changed; you decide whether it's worse. The same proof stamps apply.
What the numbers mean
Less product is how much was taken out. Price per unit is how much more each gram, millilitre or sheet now costs you. Here is a box going from 500 g to 450 g at the same price:
| Was | 500 g |
|---|---|
| Now | 450 g |
| Less product | −10% |
| Price per gram | +11%* |
*No prices on record, so this assumes the shelf price stayed put.
How sure we are
- ConfirmedWe checked it against photos of both sizes, or against a published news report or investigation we link to.
- SuspectedTwo or more people independently reported the same change. We haven't checked it yet.
- ReportedOne person reported it, with or without a photo or link, or Open Food Facts' edit history shows it. We haven't checked it yet.
Where reports come from
Shrinkflated is built by the people who use it. Most products shrank before anyone was keeping track, so the history comes from you: an old pack in the cupboard, a photo on your phone, an old flyer or store listing, or a news story. On any record, add an older size, or report a recipe change with the old ingredient list. You can't edit someone else's record, but you can add to it, back it up with Verify, or tell us it's wrong.
Shoppers send them in, and every report appears right away, marked Reported. Some come from Open Food Facts' own edit history: when it once listed a bigger size for the same barcode, we publish that as Reported, linked to the old entry. Some come from shoppers' public posts elsewhere, such as Reddit's r/shrinkflation; those records link to the post and use only its facts, never its photos. A report without a photo or a link says so, and anyone can add proof with the Verify button on its page. We don't check reports before they appear, so treat Reported and Suspected records as leads, not verdicts. We rely on other shoppers to back them up, and on anyone who spots a mistake to tell us.
The first records on the site come from the published reports linked on each product page.
Why barcodes
Industry rules say a product should get a new barcode when the size printed on the pack changes. So a smaller pack can scan as a brand-new product. When you scan, we check our record and Open Food Facts. If the pack in your hand doesn't match what was recorded, you may have caught one.
Open Food Facts keeps every edit to a product. When it once listed a bigger size for the barcode you scanned, we show that as a possible shrink with a link to the old entry. It's a lead, not a record, until someone reports it.
Every size you confirm counts, even when nothing changed. It becomes the dated baseline that catches the next shrink.
Sending a report
When you send a report you confirm it is accurate to the best of your knowledge and that you can share the photo, and you agree to the Terms. We may edit, correct or remove any record.
Corrections & takedowns
We want this record to be right. If something is wrong, including if you represent a brand and have documentation, tell us. We'll review it and correct or remove the record if it's wrong.
Privacy
Shrinkflated is run by Rightek I.T. Services Ltd in Edmonton, Alberta. Questions and requests: hello@shrinkflated.com.
- No accounts and no ads. We don't sell your data or share it with advertisers.
- What you put in a report can appear on the site: the product, sizes, prices, store, city, your note, links and any photo. Store, city, note, links and photos are optional.
- We ask the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to save a copy of links you add, so the proof survives if the page changes.
- Scanning a barcode doesn't add anything to the record. We count how many times each barcode is scanned each day and what result it got, with nothing about who scanned it. Our server looks the barcode up in Open Food Facts and its sister databases; product photos from them load in your browser from their servers.
- To slow down spam we store a salted hash of your IP address with each report or message, never the address itself. Cloudflare hosts the site, runs the Turnstile bot check on forms, and keeps short-lived request logs for us.
- Messages sent through the corrections form, and your email if you give one, are kept private and used only to answer you.
- Deleting your data: to have a report, photo or message you sent deleted, use the corrections form or email us with the record code (like SF-0123) or the page link. Within 30 days we delete it from the site and our database, including its photos and the hashed IP address stored with it.
Money
We never take money from the brands we track: no sponsorships, no ads, no paid corrections.
Data
Some product names, barcodes and sizes come from Open Food Facts, available under the Open Database License; product photos from those databases are under CC BY-SA 3.0 and credited where they appear. Published reports are credited and linked on each product page, and we state their facts in our own words rather than copying their text or photos.
Contact: hello@shrinkflated.com