Fustrated shoppers now face skimpflation as supermarkets reduce amount of food

But now they are facing the new bellyache of “skimpflation”. Around 52 percent say the quality of some supermarket food and drink has been lowered – while the price has not budged or has even gone up. Many people claim their favourite products look and taste different as manufacturers tweak ingredients due to the soaring cost of raw materials. Crisps are most frequently cited as falling victim to skimpflation, proving a gripe for 44 percent, followed by sweets and chocolate (43 percent) and cakes and biscuits (36 percent). A fifth of consumers polled by Barclaycard also feel that takeaways and restaurant meals are decreasing in quality – without a corresponding decrease in price. Esme Harwood, director at Barclays, said: “Shrinkflation and now skimpflation are increasing concerns for value-seeking shoppers.”