Shoppers outraged as Lurpak cuts size by 20%

Shoppers outraged as Lurpak has cut its size of packs of butter by 20%.

Arla Foods, which makes the butter, has slashed the size of its 250g packs to 200g, as the average price of Lurpak’s unsalted butter went up by nearly 20% in the last year, The Telegraph reports.

It comes as continuing concerns over the price of food prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to suggest imposing price caps on staple food items like bread and milk – but it would not be compulsory for retailers to meet these.

The practice of reducing the size of products while keeping prices roughly the same is known as ‘shrinkflation’. Arla Foods announced that it would phase out its 250g packs last month.

Furious shoppers have left angry reviews on the Sainsbury’s website and vented their frustration online. One user said they ‘won’t buy Lurpak anymore’, adding it ‘looks tiny in the butter dish and won’t last very long’.

Meanwhile another who required 250g of butter for a baking recipe commented: “Nothing more annoying than getting home to discover you are 50g short.”

A third added: “This is the only butter that doesn’t seem to have jumped ridiculously in price. Then it arrived and I see that the pack size has shrunk by 50g! Sneaky.”

On Twitter, one person wrote: “ArlaDairyUK/Lurpak why [is] your new packaging … just 200g.

“Cannot see the justification on dropping 50g. You are still expensive and now have annoyed me as a bespoke wedding cake maker. #bringback250g.”

Another angry shopper wrote: “Making a cake at my customer’s house. Thought I’d measured 150g wrong, until I saw the pack’s 200g. That’s Lurpak off my shopping list. Only ever used this for cooking & I’m 64 now.

Food producers blame increasing energy prices and the cost of ingredients going up for their products going up in price.

In a statement, Danny Micklethwaite, VP of marketing at Arla Foods said: “Since April 17 2023, shoppers will have seen a pack reduction for our 250g block butter packs of Lurpak and Anchor.

“We’re aware that the cost-of-living crisis has put pressure on shoppers’ available spend, and we want to make our price points more accessible for shoppers, which we believe can be achieved, by reducing our pack sizes.

He added: “There are many different factors that affect the price consumers pay in store, but pricing is set by the retailers themselves, and we work extremely closely with our retail partners to ensure we deliver tasty, quality dairy at the best possible price for both shoppers and our farmer owners.”

Security tags were added to packs of Lurpak last year, after the price of a 1kg tub increased to more than £9.