Oybey!
Shrinkflation is coming to matzo – just in time for Passover. Reported by consumer advocate Edgar Dworksy.
At least two popular packaged matzo brands, Manischewitz and Yehuda, have launched 4-pound packages of traditional kosher food, but the price tag is even higher than the 5-pound packages of just a year ago. Dvorsky noted on his blog earlier this month.
Dvorsky said the situation is a classic case of “shrinkflation,” or shrinking of the package without commensurate price reductions.
“Passover matzo is one of the few products that has so far escaped shrinkflation. On top of that, some stores have also increased prices, creating a double whammy for shoppers. ” Dvorsky pointed out.
A few weeks before Passover, a seven-day Jewish holiday that begins at sunset on April 22, Dvorsky noticed a small package at a local Stop & Shop.
He said the new pack cost a whopping $5.99 at Boston-area Stop & Shop, $1 more than the price of the 5-pound version in 2023.
Handmade matzo is only available in specialty stores, and these days it’s even more expensive, costing up to $30 per pound.
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Kehillas Jeshurun Convent on the Upper East Side said, “Prices are skyrocketing, and we certainly hear a lot about the price of handmade matzo going up…Truffles.” ,” Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of the Kehilas Jeshurun order on the Upper East Side told the paper.
In an emailed statement, Stop & Shop said the packs were made smaller because customers complained that they didn’t use all the five-pound options.
The chain said the price increase was due to rising prices for kosher food.
“Mazoh is probably the most important symbol of this holiday,” Rabbi Steinmetz said.
“Matzah is a symbol of the Jewish people leaving Egypt quickly and not being able to do so. They did not have time to ferment the dough and bake the bread. I had to bake it into thin wafer-like cakes,” he explained.
Many people who celebrate Passover follow a strictly kosher diet and avoid leavened bread products during the holiday.
“I don’t eat regular cereal during Passover. I use shredded matzo pretending to be cereal and pour milk over it,” said Roz Rachlin, 89. .
Matzoh is also an important part of the Seder, a traditional festival that marks the beginning of Passover.
“I’ve been celebrating Passover since I was little. I would sit at the Seder table with a bunch of Passover coconut macaroons on my lap. I would spend too much time praying. I had to munch on something,” said Rachlin, whose native language is Yiddish.
Matzo has been a common topic among the Steinmetz faithful lately — what kinds they like, which brands to avoid, and, of course, how much they cost.
“There is no question that shrinkflation will be noticed by kosher consumers, and they will definitely notice if there is a change,” he added.
But Rabbi Steinmetz may have less to worry about than others in his congregation.
When asked if he liked matzo, Steinmetz laughed and protested, “I’m asking the rabbi!” — and admitted, “I’m not that much of a matzo person.”
