America's Shrinking Food Wraps: Same Price, Less Food

reply to post by ohioriver
Maybe it is time to order a bunch of powdered eggs and start keeping chickens as pets. I am not making light of what you are saying. You are right to be concerned.

Ok, I have suggested this in other threads, for people sincerely curious about where to find heirloom/seeds that are not Monsanto-tampered-with.

Ebay.
Many people who've had a garden for YEARS offer their extra seeds every year. Some very exotic, and good strains to be found on there. Definitely worth the investment. And you are supporting the farmers/families with gardens by buying from them personally.

Having lived in the States for a short while (on a budget), the portions were way too large anyway. Maybe the end result is less "super-sized" Americans? Not a bad thing. I was shocked at how many people were overweight there. there. Unfortunately, the same is starting to happen here, as we are starting to follow the American diet of Fast Food, Processed Food, and Sitcoms.

what kind of backwards, third-world nation still uses pounds and ounces anyway? Get bloody metric! Multiples of ten! Couldn't be easier!

Totally agree. This practice has been going on in the UK for a number of years. I was once a manager of the department handling price changes for Tesco, so have first hand experience of such industry shenanigans. Going back about 5 years ago, you could purchase 24 bottles (330ml) of Stella Artois for around the ten pound mark. Then it progressed (regressed?) to 20 bottles (330 ml), then 20 bottles (290ml). This is just an example of one product, the same practice has been applied to almost all products sold nationwide, and no doubt, worldwide. At the end of the day, its up to us as consumers to see through the BS that is foistered upon us, but it all still smacks of sharp practice.

Funny... they just posted the same article in a Danish newspaper. I'll write the same here as there:

WHY do they see this as news?? This kind of stuff has been going on for all time. It's a perfectly "normal" way of keeping expenses and income in check. You can't really blame em' when the consumers have let them do this for so long.

Instead of looking at the beautiful yellow cardboard signs, maybe people should start read the little text that says "price pr. kg / pound" or "price pr. item".
The bigger and more yellow the sign is the more a lie it probably is

Welcome to reality hehe

reply to post by Ceara

Originally posted by Ceara
I get really mad when I see food pantry lines on TV showing all the people in line. But then the majority of the "food" available there is all pre-packaged garbage. Crackers, cheese-its, etc. The most healthy thing I saw on one pantry video was a bag of apples. But those were probably irradiated.

I'm quite familiar with food pantrys; I donate time and money to help them. The most requested items are pasta, peanut butter, rice, canned goods of all kinds, cereal. And if you can get it in bulk, all the better because it will feed more families that way at a lower price.

We also make the rounds to the local supermarkets who are kind enough to donate their excess produce. But this has to be handed out daily because of the short shelf life.

What annoys me in the UK is when you buy a pack of crisps and the bag is huge, then you open it and you look inside.... about 3 crsips look out at you from the corner of the bag laughing at your stupidity.

This goes for all 'puffy' packaging (i'm going to coin that term).

It's a marketing technique which turns us into suckers.

I'm gonna give some would-be entrepeneur out there an idea on how to make some decent money:

Learn to package and sell food for the single person.

I live alone, and believe me, shopping isn't fun. Everything is packaged for the Family Size shopper.

I hate to think of how many half-loaves of bread go stale in my house.

Originally posted by TruthWithin
No, you are a troll. Pure and simple.

Yeah, I'm sure you say that to everyone who disagrees with you.
I guess you don't even know the definition of a troll or cannot comprehend the definition since you seem to be having trouble comprehending what you are actually reading.

I am sorry I hurt your feelings. You had better get used to it.

Okay, what? Huh? Are you deluding yourself again.
What on Earth makes you think you hurt my feelings? I don't get it.
Oh, I see....you are making sly comments because you have been slapped in the face by logic and are using these sly comments in a lame attempt to make some sort of a point.

reply to post by jsobecky


God bless you for your work with the food pantry. Besides pantries here, there is a group, Senior Gleaners, which helps persons 50+ with groceries. Here, the volunteers would actually go out to the orchards/fields to glean any fruit/vegies. I know friends who have signed up with this organization to receive a bag of groceries.

Re packaging for two/singles. I think this has already started (because of the baby boomers aging and their family size is down to 2 or 1 now), as I actually have seen bread in half loaves, although not at half the price (almost the same)! Ice cream, too (although, again the price is sometimes the same).
The freezer compartment of a refrigerator can come in handy for breaking apart regular sizes and storing the parts. Or cooking, lets say a box of macaroni and cheese, and freezing the leftover portions. To me that often would be more cost effective than buying the smaller size.

Oh, just make sure you don't "lose" anything in the freezer, to where you grab a bag a year (or more!) later and have no idea what is in it!

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


I'm not holier-than-thou, I'm a smart shopper.

Our local grocery stores have two shelves they put up every week with produce they feel is almost past prime, and the majority of the time it's good and nothing wrong with any of it.

Take bell peppers for instance. Normal price here is $2.99 a pound CAD. Kind of expensive, yes? Head over to the sale rack once a week and you get a bag of 4-5 bell peppers in red, orange and yellow for 99 cents per bag! And there are no soft spots on them or mold. I chop them up and put into the freezer for toppings on my homemade pizza. I've walked out of there with 10 bags sometimes, each 99 cents. Some I make as stuffed peppers and freeze everything already cooked and it's most convenient.

They also put apples, oranges and other fruit and veg on the sale rack.

I find no-name products just as good if not better than name brand products. We also buy in bulk. We buy huge bags of frozen no-name mixed vegetables for $4 which lasts quite a while.

Then they have specials on organic broccoli for 99 cents a bunch. Or asparagus.

Bananas often go on sale for 29 cents a pound a few times a year. The rest of the time they are 59 or 89 cents a pound.

How is that expensive?

Potatoes are often 99 cents per 10 pound bag. Also not expensive.

For meat, we always shop the specials and check for deals on the grocery store websites. When there is a good deal, we buy lots and freeze it.

Our methods won't work well if there's no electricity to keep the freezer running. But then again that's why we live on some land and enjoy homegrown veggies and wild fruit of strawberries and blueberries and know how to fish and hunt. I'm also working on obtaining some "survival" wild growing vegetables like Jerusalem Artichoke. They are hard to find.

Compare those prices with boxes of crackers, bags of chips or cookies at $3-$5 that has hardly any nutrition.

Premade frozen meals suck compared to what anyone can learn to make at home.

We also buy canned crushed tomatoes. Not the diced or stewed kind, but crushed. They have less watery liquid. No name brands of those are 99 cents per good sized can of 796 mL. Put 3 or 4 of those in a large simmering pot with some spices, sauteed onions and mushrooms (when they are also 99 cents per 250 grams), add a 4 pack of italian sausage for $3 and cook for a few hours. It makes a huge pot of spaghetti sauce that will last several meals. Stretch it out by baking fresh bread or serve a salad with it.

I made homemade cannelloni the other nite, using my tomato sauce. Pasta noodles were $3 for two boxes, but I only used one box. Spinach from our garden was at it's prime and had it's second round of picking. Ricotta cheese was the most expensive at $5. I fed 4 people one night, and another 3 the next night from all I cooked.

We've been accused of living "high on the hog" for quite some time by others. But the fact is we are just smart shoppers and know how to cook. I feed 3 adults a couple of meals a day, every day, for around $400 per month in groceries and we are living on pension. Tonight we're having chicken pot pie. I'm making the crust from scratch and the chicken was $3 for a pack of 3 skinless/boneless breasts and the frozen vegetables was $3.50. It makes a huge meal enough for 3 of us to eat tonight and still have snacky leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

Sometimes we eat very cheap, like egg salad sandwiches and potato salad. Or breakfast for dinner with eggs, toast and a bit of meat and pan sauteed potatoes. Sometimes grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.

Doesn't all that sound better than a frozen Hungry Man dinner, where you are still hungry after eating it?

reply to post by Ceara


Exactly! Budgeting and shopping are all about making choices. Sadly, advertising often does the choosing for consumers.

We don't really need the more expensive out-season-fruit from Chili, for example. We don't really need most of the prepared products. We don't need soda and fake juice. We don't need to take the family out for fast food breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Re the what really are snack food such as chips (Fritos, ex), crackers, cookies. Jeez, I can remember years ago, when my state proposed a "snack tax", and the snack food industry said that the (non-nutritious!) "food" they provided was "food" for those with little money. So they were in effect saying that junk food was food for the poor and sold as such.
Actually, down through history bread (carbs) has always been a belly filler. White flour may not be the best for you, but it's what fills the belly cheaply if you're poor and hungry. Hence, snack food as food for the poor. Oh, maybe soda (sugar, to give a "full" feeling) should be in this category, too.

"From scratch" cooking/baking as you describe (ex with the crushed tomatoes for sauce) have been advertised nearly out of existence. Notice the history of food stamps/lunch programs; at first, commodities were given to families (which also helped out the American farmer), then it turned into a program to help people/institutions buy/use prepared food.

Could care less, Rarely do I pre-made food....Honestly think it's disgusting...but if they dare reduce the size of my tune can someone will pay.... lol.






Best Regards,

Richie

reply to post by Seaman_Richie



Sorry, sailor, but they have reduced the size over the years, by increments of quarter ounces. I just heard recently that Costco sells a great tuna under their own label in quantity.
Now, I don't want to make you jealous, but yesterday my husband and I just bought a small case of tuna from the local Oregon cannery, 7 1/2 oz per can, of the freshest, best tasting canned tuna possible. We made hot tuna sandwiches BTW.

reply to post by Unsane


i'm with you on your opinion of opening up a big bag of nothing.
the people that package the food for us keep the outside looking the same as before but reduce the actual weight and amount of contents inside.
the print that tells you the weight of what you are buying is barely legible on most products so we all go on for awhile buying the "same" food articals at an ever increasing price till 1 day we accidently see that the insides of the package are no where near what we used to remember getting.
like my previous job working for the government,you need to be a lawyer first before you can get a job as a janitor while working for the feds.
for some reason big buisness feels the need to treat us like dumb sheep that they think will never notice they are being ripped off till its too late?

Originally posted by desert
reply to post by Seaman_Richie

 

Sorry, sailor, but they have reduced the size over the years, by increments of quarter ounces. I just heard recently that Costco sells a great tuna under their own label in quantity.
Now, I don't want to make you jealous, but yesterday my husband and I just bought a small case of tuna from the local Oregon cannery, 7 1/2 oz per can, of the freshest, best tasting canned tuna possible. We made hot tuna sandwiches BTW.

I was having a good day till I read your response lol...... You have no idea how many of these buggers I go through a in a week! Such good amount of protein per can and with little downsides to it!!! o.0!!!!


To add more the the conversation, I do remember things being much larger as a child. I always have contributed it to me being smaller...but no...majority of products are getting smaller and smaller : (




Best Regards,

Richie

First thing I noticed it with was ice cream.. I guess they are forcing me on diet one way or the other...ho ho. Cost went up on Edy's container got smaller. I refuse to buy it at that price/size.. In fact at least at my grocery it looks like others are saying the same thing.

Originally posted by BlackProjects
First thing I noticed it with was ice cream.. I guess they are forcing me on diet one way or the other...ho ho. Cost went up on Edy's container got smaller. I refuse to buy it at that price/size.. In fact at least at my grocery it looks like others are saying the same thing.

Very true!!!! Especially the better brands....my god.

Originally posted by TruthWithin
Must be a burden carrying around that giant brain of yours.

What if you have two kids you have to bring to the store with you? What if you have paid a sitter to watch the kids and need to get back ASAP?

It would be an ideal world to hope that everyone has the time and means to do math for every single item they purchase at the store, but that is not the reality. Mfr's have to have some responsibility too.

Your lack of willingness and empty excuses aren't really a reason, are they? no they're not. you either take the required time to do the job right, or you don't do it, or get a better job so you can afford a sitter, or hmm.. sell off one of the kids. that'd be optimal.

im sorry to tell you, mr lazy, please hand everything to me on a silver platter, but this IS reality. get used to it, or get out.