The fight against Shrinkflation In Italy it undergoes a slowdown. The measure that forces producers to report the reduction of the amount of product in the packaging, whose entry into force was scheduled for April 1, 2025, was postponed to 1 October 2025.
The decision, contained in the Milleproroghe decree, aims to avoid an infringement procedure by the European Commission for non -compliance with the notification timing.
What is Shrinkflation and why it’s a problem
For those who still do not know, the term Shrinkflation was born from the union of English words “shrink” (narrowing) and “inflation” (inflation). It indicates the practice of reducing the amount of a product while keeping the price unchanged, often without clearly reporting it to the consumer. Common examples are the packs of snacks, detergents, pasta, drinks and other consumer goods which, while appearing identical, contain less product than in the past.
This phenomenon, which is not recent and is widespread all over the world, represents a little transparent way to mask the increase in prices, By inducing consumers to believe they pay the same price for the same amount of product, when in reality it is not so.
The new law and the slip of the obligation
The rule, introduced in the competition law approved in December 2024, establishes that the packaging which, while maintaining the same external dimensions, have undergone a reduction in the content must report a clear notice for six months, informing the consumer of the variation. However, the practical application of the standard raises different perplexities.
Federico Cavallo, manager of the external reports of Altroconsumocommented:
The effectiveness of this measure remains uncertain because of the difficulties in the controls. We hope that the six months granted by the postponement are used by producers and legislator to improve information and to better define controls in the area.
The postponement from April to October 2025 was necessary to respect European procedures. The EU has until 8 April 2025 to express itself on the standard and request any changes. The postponement therefore allows to avoid a potential infringement procedure against Italy.
An effective measure?
Although the obligation to notice the package is a step forward for transparency, there are those who believe that it may not be enough. Some experts are convinced that a simpler and more effective solution would have been the obligation to clearly highlight the net weight of the product on the front of the package. This would have made the real quantity of the product contained without the need for further notices immediately visible.
Until the change on the label does not actually become mandatory, it is essential that consumers pay more attention, evaluate the price at the kilo/liter and point out any practices that are not very transparent to consumer protection associations. Only in this way will it be possible to effectively contrast a practice that, if not regulated, risks compromising the purchasing power of families.
