Greener? More Portable? Healthier? New Package Sizes or Less Food for Same Price

" "Whole wheat pasta had gone from 16 onces to 13.25 ounces' she said. 'I bought three boxes and it wasn't enough -- that was a little embarrassing. I bought the same amount I always buy, I just didn't realize it, because who reads the sizes all the time?' "

That's a quote from one of the most hotly retweeted links this week: a link to an eye-opening NY Times exposé on cost cutting techniques that some food companies (not us, we're holding steady!) are taking to maintain their price point at the market with food costs up and continuing to rise.

Here at Peas, our response to the change in the economy was to offer a 2 pack size of our Puffets (instead of the original 4 pack size) at exactly the same price per Puffet. This way, it's  easier for folks new to Peas of Mind products to try one. 

“Consumers are generally more sensitive to changes in prices than to changes in quantity,” John T. Gourville, a marketing professor at Harvard Business School, said. “And companies try to do it in such a way that you don’t notice, maybe keeping the height and width the same, but changing the depth so the silhouette of the package on the shelf looks the same. Or sometimes they add more air to the chips bag or a scoop in the bottom of the peanut butter jar so it looks the same size.”

"The marketing campaigns are coy... the smaller versions are “greener” (packages good for the environment) or more “portable” (little carry bags for the takeout lifestyle) or “healthier” (fewer calories)."

The article is fascinating and controversial, definitely worth a read!