Toblerone's trim: Is this the thin end of the wedge?

Here's the good news. There's no need to plan your January diet this year. The food brands are doing it for you.
They're selling you a slimmed down version of their product for the same price.
So while the checkout till rings up the same total as usual, your shopping bag may be considerably lighter
because manufacturers are shaving costs by giving us slightly less chocolate, or fish or ice cream, in what looks
like the usual packet. It's known as "shrinkflation". If the portion size is getting stingier - shrinking - but the price
stays the same, then you're effectively paying more - inflation.
For instance, as you'll no doubt have heard, the Toblerone is being redesigned for the UK market; its Alpine
peaks are being eroded to compensate for the rising cost of ingredients, and a lighter bar is being sold for the
same price. The 400g bar is now a 360g bar and instead of 15 peaks it boasts only 11.
But - and here's the bad news - there could be more of it to come. According to the consumer
organisation Which?, several brands were guilty of this "sneaky way of increasing prices" last year. Tropicana
reduced the size of its Orange and Raspberry juice by 15%, packets of McVitie's Digestive dark chocolate biscuits
lost around 10% in weight, and Princes is putting less mackerel in each of its tins. But thanks to the pound's recent
weakness and higher costs of ingredients, manufacturers may be tempted to go further.
"I think it's going to happen even more," says Ratula Chakraborty, retail specialist at the University of East
Anglia. Manufacturers want to keep their prices low, and inflation is happening, commodity prices are changing,
so who is going to pay for it? It will be you and I who pay for it." She thinks we should keep an eye on products
across the board in coming months."I would say we should be watching out everywhere, food products, fresh
produce, household products, grocery products."
Toblerone's owner Mondelez says,” It is cost pressures that are behind the change. Cocoa in particular has
risen sharply in price over the last decade. And the weaker pound since the UK's vote to leave the EU means it's
even more expensive to pay for those kinds of raw ingredients on the world market.”

Question 1 (2.5 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part
of the text justifies your answer.
a. Food packets change according to the amount of the product inside.
False. They're selling you a slimmed down version of their product for the same price.
b. The Toblerone bar will be smaller everywhere.
False. . The 400g bar is now a 360g bar and instead of 15 peaks it boasts only 11.
c. Some other brands reduced the weight of their products before Toblerone did it.
True.. Tropicana reduced the size of its Orange and Raspberry juice by 15%, packets of McVitie's Digestive
dark chocolate biscuits lost around 10% in weight, and Princes is putting less mackerel in each of its tins.
d. The pound’s instability will encourage manufacturers to go on with this practice.
True. But thanks to the pound's recent weakness and higher costs of ingredients, manufacturers may be
tempted to go further
e. Ratula Chakraborty is afraid that "shrinkflation" will be applied to a lot more products in the future.
True. She thinks we should keep an eye on products across the board in coming months."

Question 2 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and
definitions given.
a. to reduce (par.1) slimmed down
b. tricky, dishonest (par.4) sneaky
c. to attract, invite (par.4) guilty
d. to look closely (par.5) to happen even more
e. unprocessed (par.6) raw ingredients

Question 3 (2 points) Choose the most suitable answer (a, b or c) according to the text
1. Shrinkflation occurs …
a. when the portion gets smaller and the price stays the same.
b. if you pay more.
c. unless the portion gets smaller.
2. Toblerone bar in the UK …
a. is heavier and has fewer peaks
b. has more alpine peaks
c. weighs less and has fewer peaks
3. Mondelez said …
a. it is getting easier and easier to pay for the ingredients they need to manufacture the bar
b. the price of cocoa is higher and higher
c. the pound is getting stronger and stronger
4. Ratula Chakraborty believes shrinkfation is ….. in the future
a. not going to happen
b. more likely to happen
c. stopping

Question 4 (4 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
“We should think in advance what we need before going to the shops”. What do you think?

I think that all people should think in advance what we need before going to he shops is very important, because
if this isn´t there, we will usually buy more things than we need.
The shops are making for the costumers buy and buy. The articles are putting so that they always buy. The shop´s
marketing is made for be bought, if we have one list this didn´t past. Even thougt the people should go to shop
when they have hungry, because, in spite of the fact that they try the list, they frequently will bought very much
products, which aren´t necesaries.
To sum up, I think that all the people should think in advance what we need berfore going to shops providing that
we can made it.

KEY
Question 1
a) False. “manufacturers are shaving costs by giving us slightly less chocolate, or fish or ice cream, in what looks like the usual
packet.
b) False. “, the Toblerone is being redesigned for the UK market”
c) True. “Tropicana reduced the size of its Orange and Raspberry juice by 15%, packets of McVitie's Digestive dark chocolate
biscuits lost around 10% in weight, and Princes is putting less mackerel in each of its tins.”
d) True. “She thinks we should keep an eye on products across the board in coming months."I would say we should be
watching out everywhere, food products, fresh produce, household products, grocery products."
e) True "I think it's going to happen even more," says Ratula Chakraborty or “She thinks we should keep an eye on products
across the board in coming months”
Question 2
a) Slimmed down / to Slim down
b) Sneaky
c) Tempted / to tempt
d) Watching out / to watch out
e) Raw
Question 3
1. a when the portion gets smaller and the price stays the same.
2. c weighs less and has fewer peaks
3. b the price of cocoa is higher and higher
4. b more likely to happen