Mac And Cheese Gate: TikToker Exposes Inaccurate Serving Size
It's no secret that food products are shrinking while prices skyrocket, like how soda cans keep getting smaller or how some customers think Texas Roadhouse's rolls are decreasing in size. With shrinkflation tightening its grip, shoppers in search of an actual deal naturally flock to places like Aldi for its famously cheap groceries. But one TikToker recently exposed how certain food items actually provide less than their packaging claims. After preparing a box of Aldi-brand mac and cheese — which purportedly contains three one-cup servings — the creator found it yielded just over two cups once cooked.
@chickpeanoodles So groceries are more expensive and now they're lying about how much they're actually putting in the boxes??? #capitalism #aldi #whatsgoingon #groceries #economy
The TikTok video, which currently has over 200,000 likes and 1.5 million views, also has thousands of comments, the vast majority of which express outrage at the creator's findings. "I'm surprised people aren't taking this [more] seriously. It's actually illegal. It's not just like annoying," one comment read, while another called for people to notify states' Weights and Measures and the FDA. A third commenter remarked that this isn't unusual in the slightest, as their spouse weighs their portions and "frequently finds it doesn't have as much food as the packaging says."
This isn't the first time TikTok has caught grocery stores shortchanging their customers
The mac and cheese gate creator isn't the first TikToker to take Big Grocery to task for giving people less than what the packaging portions say we're getting. Another content creator went viral on TikTok for exposing Walmart's overpriced meat department, where employees were allegedly marking meat as heavier than it really was, then pricing it according to the inaccurate weight. At the time of publication, the video has garnered nearly 34,000 comments. The vast majority of viewers expressed outrage at the retail giant for allegedly overcharging customers, with many citing the scandal as a reason to avoid Walmart's meat department entirely.
On Reddit, one commenter pointed out that if Walmart is knowingly charging for inaccurate weights, it is in direct violation of federal law. Interestingly, an actual class-action lawsuit was brought against Walmart for this very deed in 2022, and Walmart eventually agreed to a $45 million settlement to resolve the claims. It seems that until everyday consumers start making a huge stink about this in larger numbers, companies will continue to get away with it with impunity.