With regard to shrinkflation (company's reducing the quantity without reducing the price, or doing some combination or reduced quantity and increased price).
I have noticed that even 'premium' brands - where the target consumers are already very rich and probably don't care about the price - are shrinking their products. One case the evidence was left behind on a website. A few weeks back on Woolworth's website, you could search for Connoisseur 4 Pack Ice Creams and there were both 400ml and 475ml options of the same flavours (but the 475ml options were all 'out of stock').
Family also buys Lebanese breads, which come in a big bag. Used to be pack of 6. Just recently we noticed they are now packs of 5. Very sly trick indeed. I bet most people won't notice that. Far fewer than the percent of people that notice the printed weight of an item change.
Why does the consumer law even allow rubbish like this? 'Shrinkflation' is by definition misleading and deceptive. They are trying to pass something off as something it is not. They intend people to consider it the same as it was before the quantity reduction.
I know it may be somewhat restrictive and 'onerous' regulation to make a company commit to a certain quantity and never change ( because what happens if the current machine breaks and cannot be replaced with the same model, or they just want to change machine for price or whatever ).
Companies should stop trying to trick people, and just change the price if they want to recover increased costs. There is a cost to changing their manufacturing process. Just change the price, and be fully transparent!
you mean like when pfizer sold the Advil Brand to GSK now there is a 10 pack instead of a 20 pack in woolworths for the same price as the 20 pack was and now the 20 pack is more expensive