“Cheapflation”, or when manufacturers cut corners on product quality to maintain their margins

2023-09-08 18:37:09

Some manufacturers do not hesitate to change the composition of their references with artificial flavors or taste enhancers, at the risk of reinforcing the junk food of the French.

Wood cellulose in parmesan, water in ham or artificial chocolate flavors in ice cream? Without knowing it, you may have already consumed foods that are victims of “cheapflation“. Behind this barbaric word – a neologism formed from “cheap», for low end, and inflation – hides an unscrupulous technique, which some manufacturers use: replace “certain products or foods with cheaper substitutes (food or not)“. Objective : “Maintain margins or sell more products», underlined John Plassard, deputy director of the private bank Mirabaud & Cie, in one of his studies published in April 2022.

«“Cheapflation” is the latest discovery by manufacturers to maintain their margin and allow their customers to “almost” be able to continue to eat their favorite products, despite the rise in inflation which is straining their purchasing power.“, he detailed. The report cited in particular the example of “ice cream» now called “frozen dessert […] because so much dairy was taken away and replaced with fillers» that it no longer corresponds, legally, to its designation of origin. Same example with the products “chocolate» or «chocolate flavored» which certainly contain “palm oil, artificial flavors, or another similar concoction».

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“You have to read the labels carefully”

Some examples are more worrying. This is the case of parmesan, which is “supplemented, sometimes heavily, by a plant fiber often derived from wood (most often called “cellulose” in the food industry)», indicated John Plassard. If no cases have been recorded in France, Bloomberg had already identified several manufacturers in 2016 who were using this replacement product in the United States. Cellulose has no nutritional value,”humans have no way of digesting it and it can cause various digestive problems».

In addition, manufacturers making “cheapflation» do not always warn their customers of the change in product composition. “I encourage consumers to read the labels and the list of ingredients carefully. advises Coralie Costi, dietitian nutritionist. The shorter they are, the better.“. The presence of unfamiliar words is not “not a good sign“, she adds, highlighting significant health risks: “The addition of additives or flavor enhancers can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes or disruption of the microbiota.»

The effects of the “cheapflationcan also be seen in catering. “Look in restaurants or canteens, we replaced products that were expensive on the menus with others that cost less.», noted Michel-Édouard Leclerc, president of the E. Leclerc centers, this Friday morning on BFMTV. An observation shared by Coralie Costi who explains that “it is the children who pay the price” with a “nutritional educationtruncated. If, for the moment, this technique “is far from being generalized» in France, according to sector experts, you must however increase your vigilance on the shelves, at the risk of being duped on your plate. When contacted, neither the National Association of Food Industries nor the office of the Minister Delegate for Trade were able to respond.