Andrew Leigh

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP 
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury 

OPINION PIECE

Shrinkflation: Less for the Same, and Harder to Spot

Published in The New Daily

3 September 2025

Have you noticed your shopping basket feeling lighter, even though the bill at the checkout hasn’t changed? A packet of chips that once stretched across a movie now disappears before the credits roll. A box of cereal that used to last the school week runs out sooner. An ice cream tub looks the same size on the outside, but inside it holds fewer scoops than it once did.

This quiet trend has a name: shrinkflation. The size of the product shrinks, the price stays the same, and it’s only when you get home that you realise you’ve paid more for less.

Shrinkflation isn’t new, but with household budgets tight, it feels sharper than ever. Few shoppers carefully weigh packets or check the fine print on labels. Most of us just reach for the same product we’ve always bought. When the contents go down but the packaging looks the same, it’s easy to miss the change.

That’s why the Albanese Government is consulting on changes to the Unit Pricing Code. The aim is straightforward: to make it easier for Australians to see what they’re paying for and to compare value between products.

Unit pricing tells you the cost per litre, per kilo or per 100 grams. It helps you work out whether the larger pack is really better value, or whether a different brand gives you more for your money. Done well, it’s one of the simplest tools to keep supermarkets competitive. But it doesn’t always work as it should. Sometimes the unit price is too small to read. Sometimes the measure varies between products, making comparisons confusing. And some retailers aren’t covered by the rules at all.

Our government’s consultation, which opens this week, will look at a range of ideas. One is a notification regime that would require supermarkets to let shoppers know when a product gets smaller. Another is ensuring that unit prices are more visible and easier to read, so people don’t need a magnifying glass at the shelf. We’re also looking at expanding the code so that more retailers, including those online, are covered. And we’re considering how to standardise the measures used for things like toilet paper or pet food, so shoppers can compare more easily.

Constituency Statement
Open Australia

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

House of Representatives

Wednesday 3 September 

Last weekend, a handful of speakers stood on the steps of our cities and shouted slogans against immigration. Their words weren't new. Some echoed the racist cries that have haunted Australia since the days when the White Australia policy was law. But their vision of a closed, fearful country isn't the Australia we live in today, because modern Australia is a multicultural success story. Nearly one in two Australians either was born overseas or had a parent who was. My wife was born overseas, so that includes our three children. Australia is home to hundreds of ancestries, and we speak hundreds of languages in our homes.

Surveys show that nine out of ten Australians believe multiculturalism is good for Australia. Think of Frank Lowy who arrived as a refugee from Hungary and went on to co-found Westfield, Tan Le, who came as a Vietnamese boat person at age four and is today a global leader in neurotechnology, Anh Do, who fled war-torn Vietnam and became one of Australia's best-loved writers or astrophysicist Brian Schmidt, who built a global team to win a Nobel prize.

Consider sport. At the very moment anti-immigration rallies were taking place, the Sydney Marathon was being won by Ethiopia's Hailemaryam Kiros, who ran the fastest marathon ever on Australian soil, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands. As we waited in the starting pen, I chatted with athletes from India, Spain and the UK. The biggest cheer was for Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge. My friend Arsenio Balisacan, a senior official in the Philippines Government was one of the many international runners who joined the race. That's what it means to be a World Marathon Major - you welcome people from around the world.

This weekend also saw the Canberra Raiders become NRL minor premiers for the first time in 35 years. The Raiders' line-up includes New-Zealand-born Josh Papalii, English-born Morgan Smithies and Samoan-born Ata Mariota. The Green Machine are stronger because they draw on migrant talent. Across the economy migrants are on average younger and more likely to start a business than Australian-born people are. They pay more in taxes than they draw in benefits. Migrants aren't just mouths to feed but muscles to build and minds to inspire. Our universities thrive because international researchers bring ideas and energy. Our hospitals and aged care centres depend on migrant workers who care for our most vulnerable.

So, when the voices of hate call for exclusion, we must answer with evidence and with pride: pride for an Australia where people from around the world come together to build something bigger than themselves, pride in a multicultural nation that's more open, more dynamic and more generous than those who peddle fear will ever understand. That's the real story of Australian immigration - not division but unity, not weakness but strength.

ENDS

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO
TUESDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout, renewable energy, March for Australia protests, immigration

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Member for Fenner. Andrew, good morning.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Stephen, great to be with you.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: I want to talk to you about - I've seen some media around this week about a crackdown on shrinkflation. Look, we know why shrinkflation happens because things are more expensive to produce, and you can either put the price up or reduce the quantities. How do you crack down on this?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, a number of ways, Stephen. As you've said, shrinkflation is when you discover that the packet size has shrunk but the price has stayed the same. And right now, there's no obligation to tell customers when that happens. We're consulting on changes to the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct, one of which would require supermarkets to tell shoppers if that's happened, if there's been a package size change that's adverse to them - where the packet has shrunk but the price hasn't shrunk. Some of the other changes…

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: But Andrew, let me just stop you there for a moment. The size of - the weight or the contents of the packet is clearly part of our - it's already law that you've got to print that on the packet, isn't?

ANDREW LEIGH: It is. But not all of us are staring at every price, every time, at every shop. And what happens with shrinkflation is the sneaky shrinking down of the pack size, the confectionery that shrinks, the chips that shrink. We've even seen instances of toilet paper squares getting smaller and detergent getting less concentrated. And so, when that happens, one of the proposals we're consulting on is whether you'd be required for some period of time to tell shoppers that that's happened, and so they can potentially make a decision to switch to a different product. We're also looking at whether we might extend the Unit Pricing Code to other retailers, whether we might want to increase the penalties that are in place for breaches of the Unit Pricing Code, and whether we can do better in ensuring that there's consistent labelling.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING WITH PATRICIA KARVELAS
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: March for Australia protests, Nauru MOU with Australia, aged care

PATRICIA KARVELAS: I want to bring in my political panel for today. Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition and Charities. Zali Steggall is the Independent MP for Warringah. Welcome to both of you. Zali Steggall, do you think it's an equivalent hijacking by extremists on both sides?

ZALI STEGGALL: No, not at all. We know the march last weekend was a racist march organised by Neo-Nazis, overtly. There's no comparison to the hundreds of thousands, millions, I think, when you add up all the different protests. The March for Humanity that are concerned about the purposeful starvation of innocent civilians and children. I attended the Sydney March across the Harbour Bridge and it was overwhelmingly families…

PATRICIA KARVELAS: But there were signs, a couple. I saw the Ayatollah, like there were some extremist elements?

ZALI STEGGALL: There may have. And I should say the media has overwhelmingly focused on that one sign. I certainly did not see it. And there was an overwhelming amount of people of all cultural backgrounds from our communities, from many communities around Sydney. Because that's where I was. Overwhelmingly families with children who felt so distressed for humanity that children are being starved to death.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Do you think there's an equivalence in the extremism that have hijacked both movements?

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO PERTH, MORNINGS WITH NADIA MITSOPOULOS
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Well, we talk a lot on this program about shrinkflation. Now, you know what it is - you all experience it. That’s when the size or the quantity or the contents of a product suddenly reduces, but the price stays the same, and you are not told about it. And I know you notice this. I certainly do. I think I measured 16 Pringles. I weighed – when the size of a Pringles carton was reduced, I measured it and that was the equivalent to 16 Pringles. So, what have you noticed? And how do you feel about it? Because I know it annoys a lot of you. Get in touch on 1300 222 720 because it seems the government is finally going to try and do something about this. So, let’s get more from Dr Andrew Leigh, who is the Assistant Minister. Good morning, and thank you for talking to me.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Nadia, great to be with you.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: You’re starting a consultation process today. What are you consulting the public on?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, we need to crack down on shrinkflation. As you said, sometimes it’s happening with confectionery, sometimes it’s happening with drinks - beers that used to be 375ml now dropping down to 330ml. I’ve even heard of stories of it happening with the size of toilet paper squares and the concentration of detergent. And so, we’re doing a consultation now about some big changes to the Unit Pricing Code which regulates shrinkflation. That will include extending its scope to more retailers, getting better price comparisons and putting some penalties behind the Unit Pricing Code.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: So how does the code of conduct actually handle this at the moment or deal with it, or does it?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, it requires comparisons on unit pricing as the name suggests. But sometimes those comparisons aren’t as clear as they should be, and sometimes you’ve got the same supermarket line which is showing some products per 100 grams and other products per kilogram. You also have the problem that there can be a bit of a sneaky drop in size of a product while the price stays the same.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Sixteen Pringles Assistant Minister. Sixteen Pringles.

ANDREW LEIGH: Wars have been fought over less. So one of the things that we’re looking at is whether it’s appropriate then to have shoppers notified if there’s an instance of shrinkflation that’s adverse to them.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
3AW MELBOURNE, MORNINGS WITH TOM ELLIOTT
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout, housing

TOM ELLIOTT: Okay, Shrinkflation. Now, we all know what it is. You know, you buy a block of Cadbury's Dairy Milk every week. It costs $5. It used to have 240 grams of chocolate. One day it's 220 grams, but it still costs $5. Or a packet of chips used to be 50 grams; suddenly it’s 45 grams. You know, 10 per cent less, same price. The federal government is not happy and wants to do something about it. And our next guest, the Assistant Minister for Productivity and Competition, Andrew Leigh. Good morning.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Tom, great to be with you.

TOM ELLIOTT: Well, we know it when we see it but what can we actually do about it?

ANDREW LEIGH: We're seeing shrinkflation all over the place. I mean, you mentioned the chocolate example, but it’s happening with chips, it's happening with confectionery, it's happening even with toilet paper and detergents. We're getting on top of it through strengthening the Unit Pricing Code, which is the code that basically tells the big supermarkets what they've got to do in order to provide us the right information. So, we're looking at extending it across more retailers, making sure that the shelf labels compare apples with apples and putting some penalties behind that code.

TOM ELLIOTT: Yeah. Because I mean, if I have the time, I do look at, you know, the price per 100 grams and weirdly with dishwasher tablets is the price per tablet. Because they're sold in so many different packet sizes and whatever, it's very hard to compare them. But I mean, I suppose the issue is most people, and I put myself in this category, you know, we go to the supermarket for quickness and convenience. We want to go and get our stuff and get out, and we probably don't have the time or the inclination to cross check all the different prices.

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, that's right. And one of the recommendations that the competition watchdog gave us at the start of this year when we got them to do a deep dive into supermarket competition, is that if the size of the packet changes in a way that's adverse to the consumer, then there should be a requirement to notify shoppers about that change. So, that's one of the changes we're consulting on today.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: March for Australia protests, Labor’s productivity agenda

ROSS SOLLY: So, Dr Andrew Leigh is the Member for Fenner. He's also the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury and he joins us on the program this morning. Dr Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Ross, great to be with you.

ROSS SOLLY: And you as well. What did you make of the rallies around Australia yesterday?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, I think it was really troubling Ross, to see these Neo-Nazis standing up on platforms decrying Australian multiculturalism and missing the fact that except for Indigenous Australians, all of us are either migrants or the children of migrants. Migrants aren't just mouths to feed, they're muscles to build and minds to inspire. And successive generations of migrants have greatly enriched Australia, which is one of the world's most well-functioning multicultural democracies.

ROSS SOLLY: Yeah. And that point has been made by a number of listeners this morning that in fact nearly all of us are indeed migrants. The fact though, Andrew Leigh, that there were thousands marching and they were small, spread right around the country. Yes, it's easy to say, well they're Neo-Nazis or they're racist, but at the heart of it, does it identify a bigger problem?

ANDREW LEIGH: We've always had anti-migrant sentiments bubbling as an undercurrent in Australia. You think back to the Lambing Flat riots or the Cronulla riots. These things have happened in the past in Australia. But you know, it's always disappointing to see people demonising some of the most vulnerable in Australia. I was really pained to hear interviews with migrants who felt personally at risk from those demonstrations. And of course, we saw the direct attacks on police officers. Now the fact is Ross, migration has been a great benefit to Australia. You think about Victor Chang, the heart surgeon, Karl Kruszelnicki, the Swedish born science communicator or biologist Gus Nossal.

ROSS SOLLY: Yeah, for sure.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
DICKSON SQUARE, ACT
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout, March for Australia protests, 5 per cent deposits for all first home buyers, age assurance technology trial

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, good morning everyone and welcome to Canberra on the first day of Spring. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition.

When your chocolate bar loses two squares but keeps the same price, that's not magic - that's shrinkflation. And Australians are feeling the effect of shrinkflation in their regular shop. We've seen shrinkflation in chips, we've seen it in chocolate, we've even seen it in toilet paper and detergents. The Albanese Government is cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout with a review of the Unit Pricing Code that kicks off today.

As part of that review, we're investigating a range of potential reforms that might include extending the number of retailers covered by the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct. It might include ensuring better display on the shelf. It could include ensuring that we have the same measures being compared across products - not one product per 100 grams and another product per kilogram. It might include putting penalties on the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct. The Albanese Government wants shoppers to get a fair deal at the checkout.

We're holding the supermarkets to account. We've already given an additional $30 million to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in order to allow them to do their important work in keeping the supermarkets to account. We've held the first major review of supermarket competition in more than 15 years, and we've increased the penalties for anti-competitive conduct.

The Albanese Government recognises that in Australia we have a very concentrated supermarket sector, with the two majors holding significant market share. And even despite the entry of Aldi into the market a couple of decades ago, we've still seen the market share of the majors holding the same. As they say in Spider-Man, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, and our big two supermarkets have great power. So, with that we're cracking down on the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct, ensuring that Australians don't suffer shrinkflation at the checkout and that the supermarkets can't pull the wool over our eyes. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: So, what makes this different to the review that we saw in March from the ACCC?

ANDREW LEIGH: The ACCC recommended that we crack down on shrinkflation, and this is one of our one of the ways we're implementing that review. This consultation, which kicks off today and wraps up in a couple of weeks, is about implementing the ACCC’s recommendation to crack down on shrinkflation and get shoppers a better deal at the checkout.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, SATURDAY BREAKFAST WITH EMMA BICKLEY
SATURDAY, 30 AUGUST 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout

EMMA BICKLEY: The federal government is currently looking at ways for shoppers to more easily compare prices on supermarket shelves. I don't know about you, but I love unit pricing. You know, I can compare apples with apples. But also, I want to know when brands are short-changing me. Andrew Leigh is Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Welcome to the program.

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks Emma, great to be with you.

EMMA BICKLEY: Thanks. Now Assistant Minister, shoppers are really feeling the pinch when they're at the supermarket. What measures would you be looking at in this new consultation to make it easier for people to spot when they're being short-changed or when shrinkflation is playing a part?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Emma, I share your love for unit pricing. It makes it a whole lot easier when you're a shopper, and one of the things we've seen in recent years is a lot of these instances of companies which have downsized their products but kept the price the same. We've seen it with Freddo Frogs. We've seen it with Smith's chips. We've seen it with Pringles. We've even seen it with toilet paper. Kimberly-Clark admitted to shortening the length of each square of toilet paper from 11 centimetres to 10 centimetres.

EMMA BICKLEY: I mean, I thought Freddo Frog got a little bit skinnier, but I assumed he was just taking better care of himself? Are you saying he's actually getting smaller?!

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO SYDNEY, SATURDAY BREAKFAST WITH DOM KNIGHT
SATURDAY, 30 AUGUST 2025

SUBJECTS: Sydney Marathon, Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout

DOM KNIGHT: Now, I wonder whether you've ever had an experience my family had on Monday night. Got a little after dinner treat - a box of mini ice creams from a well-known supplier, and open up the mini ice creams. We thought, ‘Have these gotten more mini? Smaller than they used to be!’ Now look, maybe I at least probably benefit from that in terms of waistline, but it's not necessarily great in terms of value. This is a thing called ‘shrinkflation’. I'm not sure if they were smaller. They just seem smaller. But this is something that's been happening for years. The price cost the same, but the items get smaller. The federal government wants to do something about it. They're going to strengthen the so-called Unit Pricing Code, and there's a plan to name and shame brands that do this; reduce the size but keep the price the same. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Good morning Assistant Minister.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Dom, how are you?

DOM KNIGHT: I'm very well thank you. Now, before we get into this, I hear you're running the marathon tomorrow?

ANDREW: I am! I’m looking forward to lining up. It'll be my fourth Sydney Marathon, so always a wonderful race over the bridge at the start, finishing at the Opera House and a good 42 kilometres in between.

DOM KNIGHT: Well, it's the first time it’s an official majors, so it's an exciting day for marathon fans?

ANDREW LEIGH: It's fabulous, yes. So, it'll be a good run. It's been a little bit more competitive. It used to be anyone could just get an entry but these days you've got to get lucky in the ballot.

DOM KNIGHT: You're doing pretty well when you've got a room for 35,000 people and you're turning people away. Anyway, look all the best with that tomorrow. But let's get on to this question of shrinkflation. What are you planning to change to try and get this well, at least more transparent, even it doesn't stop it?

ANDREW LEIGH: Dom I thought your example of the ice creamwas a perfect one. And we're seeing this in all kinds of different products. Freddo Frogs have shrunk in size. Pringles have shrunk in size. Used to be most beers were 375ml - a lot of them are dropping down to 330ml. Now, wine makers are sometimes selling in 700ml bottles, rather than the usual 750ml. Pippa Malmgren, a US economist has dubbed it shrinkflation when the size goes down, but the price goes the same. So, we want to make sure that consumers have the information they need in order to make informed decisions at the checkout, and that means knowing when shrinkflation is going on in front of you.