Richmond’s meat free ranges have been struck by shrinkflation after the brand relaunched several meat-free products with smaller pack sizes.
The meat brand, owned by Pilgrim’s Food Masters, has also increased prices by up to 25% per gram – which prompted consumer backlash online.
For example, its meat-free bacon packs have been reduced from 150g to 120g. Meanwhile, packs of the brand’s meat-free sausages in both chilled and frozen have fallen from 336g to 304g.
However, prices have remained the same at £2.15 for frozen sausages.
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Other brands have also recently come under fire for shrinkflation, including Lurpak, which saw pack sizes decrease from 250g to 200g and Hellman’s mayonnaise, which fell from 800g to 600g.
According to data published by NIQ last week, plant-based categories were struggling for growth due to the cost of living crisis, as vegan shoppers look to save cash on grocery bills.
Sales for chilled meat alternatives during Veganuary dropped by 16.8% this year, while sales of frozen meat alternatives fell by 13.5% compared to last year, NIQ said.
“Unfortunately, like many in our industry we have had to reduce the size of some products in our Richmond Meat-Free range as a result of rising production costs,” said a Richmond spokeswoman told The Grocer.
“This is not a decision we made lightly and we remain committed to offering the best possible value for money without compromising on quality or taste.”
