India Food Stats

In Indian kitchens, most of us instinctively reach for that familiar-looking 1-litre pouch of cooking oil, expecting exactly one litre inside. However, many popular cooking oil brands now sell their products in pouches that look very similar to the standard 1-litre size, but actually contain slightly less oil — often 850 ml, 900 ml, or 950 ml. Some brands use tall, slim bottles to create a visual illusion and make 850g of oil look identical to a 1L bottle on a crowded supermarket shelf. This is psychological pricing in action. Consumers are very sensitive to a price jump from say ₹145 to ₹160. They are much less sensitive to the weight dropping from 910g to 850g if the price stays at ₹145. This practice, sometimes called “shrinkflation” or “non-standard sizing,” has become increasingly common in recent years. While the pack design, shape, and branding make the pouch appear almost identical to a full 1-litre pack, the actual volume printed on the label is smaller. For the average buye...

Ever feel like your curd is quietly ghosting you? That’s shrinkflation doing its sneaky thing—brands trimming the pack size while the price tag stays suspiciously steady. Take Amul Curd : back in 2025 it came in a solid 850g pack.  In April 2026 it was down to 800g.  As of July 2026, it is further down to 700g! This would have been hard to know if not for Open Food Facts  keeping records from the past. The price remains at 100% while the volume has dropped to 94%. Consumers are effectively paying 6.25% more per gram . It’s the classic move—less product, same shelf price = higher cost per gram. Not illegal, just… cheeky. Next time you grab a pack, flip it over and play detective. Your wallet (and your curd cravings) will thank you!

Saffola Active Cooking Oil used to come as 1 litre (910g) pouch in 2024. The new pack looks almost exactly the same, but if you look carefully, the quantity is now 850g. All images: OpenFoodFacts.org Saffola Tasty+, which similarly used to come in 910g or 1 litre packs , is now just 820g—making it even less than Saffola Active. So if you thought you were paying less due to the GST changes, you might not realise that you’re actually getting less oil — unless you check the label VERY closely. The food you cook with it may still taste great, but this sneaky reduction in quantity definitely doesn’t feel good!

Shrinkflation is a term used to describe the practice of reducing the size or quantity of a product while keeping its price the same or increasing it slightly.  Open Food Facts helped me spot that Sunfeast Marie Light Active Mega Family Pack was all of 1 kg in 2023.  Image source:  Open Food Facts The "Mega Family Pack" downsized to  956 grams now in 2025 . There was a change in barcode , ingredients & nutrients. It had slightly more fat and sugar. In 2026, it has further shrunk to 924 grams. Looks like 1kg but you'll know only  the actual weight only if you look at the back of the pack closely.