A TikToker's conspiracy theory about the serving size listed on boxes of mac and cheese is turning out to have some legitimacy to it after all, and she's not the only one upset about it.
"I've had a theory for a while now that food companies are ripping us off so bad by lying about the amount of servings and serving sizes in groceries," @chickpeanoodles told viewers in a video that's been viewed over 2.2 million times.
"I noticed it really bad the other day with this mac and cheese from Aldi, so I'm gonna make it right now, and I'm gonna film it, and we're going to see if there's actually three one-cup servings in this box when I'm done."
From there, the TikToker made sure to thoroughly document her process, opening the box on camera to show how few noodles were included and demonstrating that she was following the exact directions written on the packaging, minus a change to the amount of butter she used.
When she was done cooking, she took out a one-cup measuring spoon and dished the pasta into bowls for her kids. By the time she'd taken out two level scoops, there was hardly anything left in the pot.
"Is that three cups? That's not three cups," she said, spooning it into the measuring cup to leave no question that it fell woefully short of the box's promise.
"So if you've been feeling like your boxes of mac and cheese aren't feeding as many people anymore, it's 'cause they're not."
Grocery shrinkflation suspicions confirmed
Considering how expensive groceries have gotten in recent years, @chickpeanoodles wasn't the only one frustrated by the results of her experiment.
If this is a widespread issue, consumers are not only paying more money for groceries in general, but we're actually paying more money for less. And companies are straight-up lying about it.
"My gen X mom finally believed me about shrinkflation after she was making a dish that she'd been making our entire lives and there wasn't enough to cover the whole pan. She was like 'it's always only taken one bag' yea.. that's what we've been saying.." @ladedafalala wrote.
"I'm surprised people aren't taking this [more] seriously," said @joshrheaume. "It's actually illegal. It's not just like annoying."
"As a person that counts carbohydrates to properly dose insulin, this is terrifying. What if I decided to eat a whole box & not measure it," @bzbauller asked. "I'd dose too much insulin & go low."
"Im so tired of being ripped off and working hard for nothing," read another comment.
@chickpeanoodles So groceries are more expensive and now they’re lying about how much they’re actually putting in the boxes??? #capitalism #aldi #whatsgoingon #groceries #economy
♬ original sound - Great Value™ Merida
It's not just mac and cheese—packaged foods are bending the truth on seving claims
The responses to her mac and cheese video were so overwhelming that @chickpeanoodles decided to keep going.
She tested Kraft macaroni and cheese, checked other metrics, and eventually moved on to comparing packaging promises to reality for other grocery items in a series she's calling "Grocery-gate."
What's particularly great about these videos is that the TikToker has also started looking into the relevant laws for the products she's testing, ensuring she understands how serving sizes are determined and sharing accurate information with her viewers.
@chickpeanoodles Finally continuing with Mac n cheese-gate and we’re back with another doozy. #groceries #macncheese #shrinkflation #aldi #capitalism
♬ original sound - Great Value™ Merida
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