By Alex Crean, reporter

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 206 products shrunk in size between September 2015 to June 2017- and stayed at the same price.

By its nature, consumers aren’t meant to notice Shrinkflation.

Shrinkflation is where the price of a product stays the same but the size reduces, compared to normal product inflation where the size remains constant but the prices rise.

Personal finance writer Rebecca O’Connor gives some examples, “It can be anything from three fewer biscuits in the pack, or that one of the pieces of chicken in the pack is more like a mini fillet that a full-sized piece”.

While over recent days priority has been given to the impact of Shrinkflation on people’s household budgets, but O’Connor explains some of the less obvious impacts.

“Shrinkflation is really bad for the consumer psyche, it makes consumers have to compare not just the price but the price per 100g.

“It just makes people work harder in shopping- and if they get it wrong it can just make people feel like they have been duped.”

The impact of people feeling duped isn’t just bad for consumers, but it can hit confidence in businesses, O’Connor explains, “When people feel like they have been tricked, they start to mistrust businesses- and in the short term, their profits may be preserved by Shrinkflation. The impact I the long term can be bad- if people don’t trust you, they won’t shop with you.”