After being recently accused of “shrinkflation” with its Mac and Cheese, Kraft is being called out again by another consumer, this time for their Shake ‘N Bake.
For context, “Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing the size of a product while maintaining its sticker price,” per a piece in Investopedia. This is more common than one might think, and numerous users over the years have gone viral sharing examples everywhere from the baking aisle to the snack closet.
Now, TikTok user Nicole (@nicolemilan.wellness) says that Kraft is skimping customers by making it difficult to “shake” their Shake ‘N Bake, a product used to season meat.
“You don’t even get a bag anymore,” she says, holding up a box of the product. “How am I supposed to shake my bake without a bag?”
“Thanks, Kraft,” she sarcastically states at the video’s end.
While this may have come as a surprise for Nicole, Kraft began removing the plastic bag from its boxes back in November 2022.
“Cooks are instead ‘encouraged to shake using a reusable container as the vessel for adding that extra layer of crunch to their favorite recipes,’” writes Deb Kiner for Penn Live. “According to the company, removing the bags will help to ‘eliminate 900,000 pounds of plastic waste – equivalent to the weight of more than 270 mid-size cars.’”
While that may have been the intention, commenters note that the removal of the bag hasn’t stopped them from using plastic.
“I use ziplock now. So regardless I’m using a plastic bag,” reads one comment. Other commenters also claimed to use plastic bags or to have switched to brands that include plastic bags within their boxes. A few even claim to now make their own versions of the product at home, again providing their own bag for shaking.
@nicolemilan.wellness @KD Canada do better! #shrinkflation #kraft ♬ original sound – NicoleMilan.Wellness
“I make my own now when I saw the price of it at almost $5… for breadcrumbs and some seasoning,” shared one commenter.
“This was the final straw for me,” recalled another. “We now use Italian bread crumbs which is cheaper than shake n bake.”
That said, some were in favor of the switch.
“Does no one own containers with lids??” asked a commenter. “It’s not that difficult…”
In response, Nicole wrote, “But that’s not the point! It’s an incomplete product.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Nicole via Instagram direct message and Kraft via email.
