"Shrinkflation": Oreo Fans Claim Cookie Has Less Filling, Company Responds

Popular cookie brand Oreo, which has a history of over 100 years, is under the suspicion of "shrinkflation", where the product volume is reduced while the price is kept the same or increased. According to the Wall Street Journal, several Oreo fans recently claimed that the creme-to-cookie ratio in the biscuit has been quietly shrinking in their favourite snack. They took to social media to share videos of the cookie sandwich after they noticed only a thin smear of creme between the two wafers. 

Speaking to the Journal, US resident Shane Ransonet said that he and his wife recently bought a packet of Oreos and noticed the creme filling in the cookies was downsized. They decided to test Double Stuff Oreo, however, they found a familiar-looking cookie when they opened the package. "Here we go, that's the regular Oreo," Mr Ransonet told his wife, as per the outlet. 

Another 60-year-old US resident Beverly Cooper also noticed that the creme filling in the Double Stuff Oreos, which has comparatively more filling than the normal Oreos, was downsized. "It's a sign of the times. This is the way of the world now," Ms Cooper said. 

Users on social media are sceptical too. They shared videos of the cookies on Reddit page called r/shrinkflation. "Oreos have way less cream now?" wrote one user alongside a video opening a package of Oreos and splitting a cookie sandwich in half to expose a thin layer of creme described as "kinda lame'". "Yes, less cream. The company should be fined for false advertising. The package photo no longer bears any resemblance to the product inside," said another. 

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One user even shared how much the Family Size Double Stuff Oreo packages have literally shrunk. According to the photo the user shared, the older, larger box of the beloved cookies says its weight is 566 grams, while the newer, smaller packets are only 530 grams. "It's bad enough all these companies raise prices way above their increased production costs and blame inflation but now they're selling us even less for the same already inflated prices," the user wrote.

"Didn't the cream cover nearly the whole Oreo before?" asked another while sharing a photo of an Oreo cookie where a circular blob of creme does not fill the entire biscuit. 

Meanwhile, Mondelez, the US-based maker of the Oreo cookies, told the Journal that it has tried a number of strategies recently to offset the rising costs of cocoa and sugar, such as offering fewer discounts and shrinking package sizes. However, the company denied skimping on the creme filling.