Denny's mushrooms becomes latest victim of shrinkflation

Crystal Orderson interviews Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist.

Listen below (skip to 21:53) .

We're all familiar with how mushrooms significantly shrink when cooked due to their high water content, but recently, CapeTalk producer Bruce Hong, known for his vigilant eye on food-related issues over the years, highlighted a notable change: Denny’s mushroom packs has decreased from 250g to 200g – a substantial 20% reduction.

This prompted an intriguing question about their website recipes: While previously specifying one or two 250g punnets, they now simply state 1 or 2 punnets.

Were all other ingredients adjusted proportionally, or was there another adjustment?

When approached by Knowler, Denny responded through their sales manager, who remarked, 'It doesn’t matter... They cook away to nothing anyway. Like spinach,' suggesting that additional mushrooms could be added if desired.

The manager also noted that this shrinkage in packaging size occurred the previous year.

"A lot of people know that I have an interest of tracking shrinkflation."

- Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.