After more and more debates took place on the European level regarding the “shrinkflation” phenomenon, the discussions also reached Romania. The Prime Minister of Romania, Mircea Ciolacu, stated that some producers reduced the weight of the products, but the shelf prices remained unchanged.
“I believe this is a form of consumer fraud. It is actually a camouflaged and economically unjustified price increase under a very similar packaging. I ask all control authorities in Romania to intervene urgently. And in parallel, let’s prepare a regulation, on the French model: manufacturers 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”, declared Prime Minister Mircea Ciolacu at the beginning of the Government meeting.
In France, the measure will enter into force from July 1 and requires that, after a product whose weight has been changed reaches the shelf, it will be accompanied by a clear label specifying this. The measure covers both branded and own-brand products and targets stores with a sales area of more than 400 square meters. The new rule does not apply to bulk products.
Those who do not comply with the new regulations risk fines of up to 15 thousand euros. More precisely, the French administration has provided for penalties of up to 3,000 euros for individuals and up to 15,000 euros for legal entities.
At the same time, France submitted a proposal to the European Union that would oblige all retailers in Europe to carry out such a labeling campaign, writes The New York Times.
As far as the retailers are concerned, Carrefour voluntarily decided since September of last year to mark on the shelf the products that have a smaller quantity, but unchanged price. The measure was taken at that time for all the stores that the French giant owns in France.
Tags: government force traders shelf products weight unchanged price
