We're all familiar with our favourite chocolate bars, crisps and household necessities falling victim to 'shrinkflation'. A sneaky process in which brands quietly push through price hikes by reducing the size of their packaging, therefore giving shoppers less bang for our buck.
During a cost of living crisis, food prices are at the forefront of many people's minds. McDonald's, renowned for its cheap and easy fast food, recently came under fire for announcing price rises on a range of items, including the saver menu cheeseburger which rose in price for the first time in 14 years, from £99p to £1.19.
Amid these price changes, hungry customers are now questioning whether the food chain has shrunk its burgers too. Speculation has been swirling as to whether much-loved items on the menu are smaller than they used to be, so much so that McDonald's have been forced to deny the claims.
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The debate arose after shoppers in Australia noticed a significant size difference between the the Filet-O-Fish, McChicken and beef burgers, dubbing the former as 'kids-sized'.
Taking to Facebook to reveal their findings, one commenter said: "Have Mc Donald Filet-O-Fish always been this small? I don't remember it being mini, kid-size like this?!".
Others chimed in to agree with the claim, giving further examples of disappointing portion sizes. "Just like the quarter pounder, got its name as it was a quarter pound of beef, it's barely that now," one Facebook user responded. Another added: "Inflated price...deflated goods".
The 'super small' burgers have been scrutinised carefully by consumers, with many claiming that the patty itself has got thinner. One person claimed: "We had Big Macs last week. Not only have the buns shrunk but the meat patties were so thin we could see literally through them. Was as if they had sliced them in half."
Other McDonald's fans challenged these claims, instead insisting that the burgers in question have always remained the same size.
Unconvinced that the Filet-O-Fish has fallen victim to shrinkflation, one commenter said it has been the same size for 'as long as they can remember'.
Another said: "It's the same size bun as the cheeseburger, it's always been small."
Addressing the controversy, a spokesperson from McDonald's said "there have been no changes to the size of the burgers".
"We are committed to offering our customers great quality, great value burgers featuring 100 per cent RSPCA approved chicken and 100 per cent Aussie beef,' they added.
This isn't the first time that Aussies have accused McDonald's of shrinkflation. In 2020, one Reddit user likened a cheeseburger to a 'size of a cookie' with many commenters flocking to the comments in agreement.
However, a McDonald's spokesperson stated that they had merely changed the shape of its bun without skimping on ingredients.
"The overall weight of our burgers remains unchanged... The new bun is the same weight, with slightly different proportions.
"We haven't changed the size of our beef patty since the first McDonald's restaurant opened in Australia in 1971. We still use 100 per cent Aussie beef patties that our customers know and love," the statement said.
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