Voting has decided: This is the deceptive package of the year 2022

Same price, less content
This is the sham of the year 2022

Most people are familiar with the round packaging of “Rama”. “For spreading, baking & cooking” is written on the lid. The small note “100% vegetable” at the bottom has now given way to a much larger, centrally placed and green imprint: “100% natural ingredients” is there.

“Rama” has become 25 percent more expensive

But if you suddenly miss 100 grams when baking, you haven’t measured yourself. No, they really are missing. Since last year, the manufacturer Upfield has been selling the spreadable fat with 400 instead of 500 grams for the same price (2.19 euros) and in the same sized can. Converted, this means that “Rama” has become 25 percent more expensive, according to the statement by the Hamburg consumer advice center.

They are therefore calling on the legislature to “finally better protect consumers from such hidden price increases”. Because “Rama” is not the only product that has been cheated on in the past year. With “Leerdammer” the content has shrunk from 160 to 140 grams, although “permanently one more slice” was promised – at least that was what the stickers said.

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The consumer advice center rates the actions of “Rama” as “particularly brazen”. Spreadable fat is a top-selling food item that is usually sold in 500 gram tubs. For consumers, however, it is very difficult to see that they are getting less content for the same price if the packaging size remains the same. Never before had the consumer advice center received so many complaints about a product.

Waste of resources: “Rama” uses the same packaging size

Upfield is said to be committed to “responsible procurement, use of resources and production,” as the company writes on its website. However, instead of using smaller containers adapted to the reduced content in order to use fewer raw materials, they now use half a million more plastic cups for 1,000 tons of “Rama”.

Consumers are not at all excited about the changes. One person writes: “For years I’ve been baking spritz cookies at Christmas time according to my grandmother’s recipe, which also contain 500 grams of margarine. This year, the Rama packaging suddenly contained only 400 grams. I only have that at home during the production of the dough and therefore had to reduce all the other ingredients.” Due to the unchanged packaging size, most consumers only noticed it much too late.

Consumer organization files lawsuit against Upfield

Reducing filling quantities is a common cost-saving measure in companies. The contents of other Upfield brands – Lätta, Sanella and Violife – have also been secretly reduced. In some cases, however, it is difficult to unmask deceptive packaging in the legal sense. However, if 100 grams were suddenly missing from a cup of the same size, this was clearly misleading. The consumer advice center has therefore filed a lawsuit against Upfield. The reduction in the “Sanella” product is also still being negotiated – there was also a reduction of 100 grams, the packaging size remained the same.

Source used: vzhh.de, press release

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Bridget