New YorkCNN —
President Joe Biden doesn’t want corporate greed to eat into your Super Bowl snack spread.
In a video posted Sunday to X, formerly known as Twitter, the president called on companies to put a stop to “shrinkflation.”
“When buying snacks for the game, you might have noticed one thing: Sports drink bottles are smaller, a bag of chips has fewer chips, but they’re still charging you just as much,” he said.
Shrinkflation is a widespread practice where businesses offer less product without reducing the price accordingly. It’s a common cost-saving tactic during periods of inflationary pressure. While inflation has slowed down to a three-year low, prices are still punishingly high for many Americans, who have found themselves getting consistently less for their buck when shopping for essentials.
Biden has struggled to get his economic message to break through ahead of the 2024 election. Economic indicators are telling a positive story, but many Americans feel that the president’s policy has made economic conditions in the country worse. A majority of Americans (55%) said in a recent CNN poll that they believe Biden’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, while just 26% believe his policies have improved conditions.
“There is no denying that shrinkflation is real and that it is having a measurable impact on family budgets,” concluded a December report published by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
The report found common household and grocery items noticeably decreased in size between January 2019 and October 2023, while unit prices rose more than 20%. For example, a pack of Double-Stuffed Oreos now weigh 6% less, Gatorade bottles hold 12% less liquid, and a Walmart’s Great Value Ultra Strong paper towel roll has 28% fewer sheets, according to the report.
“The American public is tired of being played for suckers,” said Biden in the video. He called on companies “to put a stop to this,” but did not mention any actionable steps his administration would be taking.
Biden also didn’t address the companies by name, although the video panned over snacks like Doritos, Wheat Thins and Gatorade, which were mentioned in Casey’s report.
President Joe Biden doesn’t want corporate greed to eat into your Super Bowl snack spread.
In a video posted Sunday to X, formerly known as Twitter, the president called on companies to put a stop to “shrinkflation.”
“When buying snacks for the game, you might have noticed one thing: Sports drink bottles are smaller, a bag of chips has fewer chips, but they’re still charging you just as much,” he said.
Shrinkflation is a widespread practice where businesses offer less product without reducing the price accordingly. It’s a common cost-saving tactic during periods of inflationary pressure. While inflation has slowed down to a three-year low, prices are still punishingly high for many Americans, who have found themselves getting consistently less for their buck when shopping for essentials.
Biden has struggled to get his economic message to break through ahead of the 2024 election. Economic indicators are telling a positive story, but many Americans feel that the president’s policy has made economic conditions in the country worse. A majority of Americans (55%) said in a recent CNN poll that they believe Biden’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, while just 26% believe his policies have improved conditions.
“There is no denying that shrinkflation is real and that it is having a measurable impact on family budgets,” concluded a December report published by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
The report found common household and grocery items noticeably decreased in size between January 2019 and October 2023, while unit prices rose more than 20%. For example, a pack of Double-Stuffed Oreos now weigh 6% less, Gatorade bottles hold 12% less liquid, and a Walmart’s Great Value Ultra Strong paper towel roll has 28% fewer sheets, according to the report.
“The American public is tired of being played for suckers,” said Biden in the video. He called on companies “to put a stop to this,” but did not mention any actionable steps his administration would be taking.
Biden also didn’t address the companies by name, although the video panned over snacks like Doritos, Wheat Thins and Gatorade, which were mentioned in Casey’s report.
