'I feel cheated': Here are the products hit hardest by shrinkflation

Canadians who feel like they are getting less bang for their buck at the grocery store these days might be right. A new report shows the effects of shrinkflation are real.

Shrinkflation is a form of inflation that reduces the size of a product while maintaining its retail price.

"I'm pretty confident that almost all of shoppers here (in Ontario) are aware that there is some shrinkflation in their groceries," Rachel Lee, lead researcher of the report, told CTV News.

"You can't fully detect it since there really isn't a lot of full data about it."

The study by Community Researchers, a nonprofit research organization, looked at 60 products across three grocery stores in Ontario and compared today's package quantities to 2019 quantities.

The researchers found 20 per cent of the products saw some level of shrinkflation.

Kraft salad dressings and Armstrong marble cheese shrunk over the years.

Kraft salad dressings and Armstrong marble cheese shrunk by 50 grams or a little more than 10 per cent over the last five years.

But the foods hit hardest by shrinkflation were chocolate snacks like cookies and granola bars, baby and toddler food, frozen chicken pieces, processed meat and oils, according to the report.

The average shrinkflation for food high in sugars and fats is 9.2 per cent. Baby and toddler food shrunk by 8.3 per cent on average.

GoGo Squeeze fruit sauce pouches have shrunk 320 grams or nearly 23 per cent since 2019.

While the research focused on products in Ontario, Regina shoppers say they are seeing the shrink in Saskatchewan, too.

"I feel cheated. I feel like my family is being cheated. We're paying the same money for less products," said shopper Aldaine Blagrove, who notices his coffee products are coming in smaller quantities.

Other consumers believe tomato juice and soda crackers are falling victim to shrinkflation.

When Barbara Hayden empties a can of tomato juice into a container at home, she says it doesn’t fill as much as it used to.

"It’s getting ridiculous in the stores," she said.

"I don't think it's fair. If you're paying the price, you should get the product."

To some surprise, the study found shrinkflation did not affect foods such as chips, bread, nuts, fruit and dark green vegetables.

But many shoppers who spoke to CTV News are not convinced chip bags have enough chips in them.

"I have three kids, and chips are a must in our cupboard," Erica Pearce said. "They have gone up in price at least 50 cents and the amount of chips in there I feel like is at least half when I open it."

Pearce said consumers are at the mercy of food companies, and she feels helpless knowing she has no other choice than to buy the shrinking products on the shelves.