When it comes to Rice Krispies Treat shrinkage, this California candy maker makes a pretty big claim when it comes to smaller sizes.
Ursula Perez, owner-operator of L.A.-based Sweet Tooth Candy Buffets is calling out Kellogg’s for a second time.
Earlier in the year, Perez insisted the multinational food manufacturing company was guilty of Rice Krispies Treat shrinkage by comparing the company’s eight-pack and 40-pack offerings of the popular treat.
Her current video, posted to her TikTok account on Saturday, currently has over 143,700 views.
Perez’s original claims
In July, Perez complained that Kellogg’s was providing less than substantial treats.
She claimed that the sticky marshmallow Krispie squares were substantially denser and better when purchased in the eight-count box as opposed to the company’s economy-sized 40-count boxes.
As reported by the Daily Dot, Perez claimed, “There’s a huge difference. Huge difference.”
Squeezing the two treats between her fingers with what she claimed was equal pressure, Perez stated to her viewers, “It’s literally half of this that’s in here,” as the 40-count bar seemed to compress faster.
Her new callout
“We need answers,” Perez claims in her latest video.
In her video, she says “We did not hear back from Kellogg’s” and speaks to the viral nature of her first video. That video received 2.5 million views.
She tells viewers that she will do another comparison because, “I keep getting requested, like, open up the box with the eight-count and the 40-count and every single time it doesn’t fail.”
Perez then goes on to open a treat from the eight-count box in front of the camera. “So pretty,” she says, showing the unopened eight-count treat to the camera.
“So perfect, so dense, I mean … This is what we used to get all the time,” she claims.
She then opens up a treat, in the exact packaging as the previous treat, from the 40-count box. She is less that thrilled with what she claims is Rice Krispies Treat shrinkage.
What did the side-by-side comparison look like?
Side by side, the two treats do appear different, with the eight-count treat appearing whiter and more dense while the 40-count treat seems yellower and appears to be less dense due to visible air pockets.
She further claims that the two treats have the “exact same nutrition label, weight, all of that is exactly the same.”
“For those of you who said it doesn’t look different, I don’t know, maybe it doesn’t to you. There’s a lot of air pockets, and [the 40-count treat] is what all of the boxes … look like,” she says.
To further her claims of Rice Krispies Treat shrinkage, she then compares the data offered on the boxes [reversed by her camera]. She notes, and it is confirmed by the packaging, that “they both say ’22 grams classic size.’”
“They both have the same exact label but they don’t look the same,” she claims. “They’re not the same!”
How did Kellog’s respond to Perez’s initial claim?
After Perez posted her original claim on July 26, the Daily Dot reached out to the company for a response.
On Aug. 2, we received the following statement from a Kellogg’s spokesperson:
“The Rice Krispies Treats shown in the consumer’s video are from comparable packages that have not been made smaller. They are sold by weight, not dimension, for which there is an acceptable range. There are natural variations in our cooking process which can affect color, and rice grains vary in size and weight. We do have controls in place to ensure that Rice Krispies Treats meet our high quality standards, including ensuring packages are not over-or under-weight.”
The Daily Dot has reached out again to Kellogg’s to attain an additional statement.
@swttoothbuffets We need answers #kelloggs #ricekrispiestreats ♬ original sound – Ursula – Sweet Tooth Candy 🍭
What the viewers said
In response to the supposed Rice Krispies Treat shrinkage, viewers seemed to side with Perez’s assessment.
Monicacaloca840 (@monicacaloca840) wrote, “I have been saying they are different for a while and no one believed me. Ugh. Glad you are doing this. Kellogg needs to make this right.”
Perez replied, “Thank you! Yes, they are just clearly being made differently.”
Another viewer stated, “They need to be weighed out to see if they are 22 grams,” to which Perez claimed, “I’ve done this and yes they are different in weight also.”
“I thought I was going crazy,” one viewer wrote.
And another viewer added, “I totally agree with you! I stop buying the 40 ct box.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Perez via email and TikTok messenger for further comment.
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