President Joe Biden called out snack companies on Super Bowl Sunday, asking them to put a stop to “shrinkflation” – and it’s a jab Americans may see more frequently from the White House.
Biden was sitting beside common snacks like Oreos, Doritos and Goldfish during the 48-second clip, posted to X.
“When buying snacks for the game, you might have noticed one thing: Sports drink bottles are smaller, a bag of chips has fewer chips, but they’re still charging you just as much,” Biden said.
Shrinkflation happens when consumer products get smaller in weight, size or quantity while their prices stay the same or even increase.
“I’ve had enough of what they call ‘shrinkflation.’ It’s a rip off,” Biden said. “…I’m calling on companies to put a stop to this.”
“That’s a message that the average consumer will nod their heads and say ‘sure, I hate it when that happens,'” former presidential candidate Andrew Yang said. “The question is whether that’s actually going to change corporate practices.”
White House National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard on Tuesday also blamed higher consumer prices on “shrinkflation,” during an appearance on CNBC’s “Money Movers.”
“They’re gonna have to keep making this case around the country because the Biden administration is underwater with independents who are going to decide this November’s election,” Yang, now the co-chair of the Forward Party said. “They’re going to be trying anything they can to say, at least, ‘we’re on your side.'”