The government will require manufacturers to visibly indicate on the packaging that they have reduced the weight, if the price of the product has remained unchanged

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced, on Thursday, at the beginning of the Government meeting, that anti-shrinkflation measures will be adopted on the French model: manufacturers will be obliged to visibly indicate on the packaging that they have reduced the weight, if the price of the product has remained unchanged.

The Prime Minister asked “all Romanian authorities to intervene urgently”, after “some traders reduced the weight of the products, but left the prices as high”.

“It seems that we have also heard that some traders have reduced the weight of the products, but left the prices as high. I believe this is a form of consumer fraud. It is actually a camouflaged and economically unjustified increase in price, under a very similar packaging. I ask all the control authorities in Romania to intervene urgently, and in parallel to prepare a regulation on the French model: the producers must be obliged to visibly indicate on the packaging that they have reduced the weight, if the price of the product has remained unchanged. And obviously, harsh sanctions for non-compliance with this obligation”, said Marcel Ciolacu.

The French model: French retailers will have to inform shoppers when the size of products has been reduced without a corresponding price reduction, in an effort to combat so-called “shrinkflation”.

From July, French retailers will have to display for two months when the quantity of food and other common consumer goods such as detergent has been reduced in a way that increases the unit price, the ministry said.

“Shrinkflation is a fraud, we are putting an end to it. I want to rebuild consumer trust, and trust goes hand in hand with transparency,” said Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

In France, supermarket chain Carrefour voluntarily applied price warnings on some products last September to put pressure on big consumer goods makers such as Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever ahead of annual price negotiations.