When companies are wasteful, it costs consumers money. When companies are deceptive, it costs consumers money and is insulting to boot. When they do both at the same time, it creates an incredibly frustrating experience for buyers, which is why one Redditor was so angry about a simple package of nuts that they posted about it online.

What's happening?

Their photo earned a place on the r/shrinkflation subreddit. "I assure you, that false bottom is perfectly normal and not at all shrinkflation!" said the original poster sarcastically.

The photo shows a clear plastic tub, which, according to a comment from the original poster, was identified as "Ava's Mixed Roasted and Salted Nuts" distributed by Hampton Farms at their local grocer. While at first glance the tub might appear to be full, the original poster has tilted it to show that there is a deep indent at the bottom of the container, so much of its apparent volume is filled with air.

Why is this tub design important?

Buyers who base their decision to buy these nuts on the appearance of the package will be getting far less food than they think and spending far more money per the amount of food they purchase. Practices like these are widespread, and they cost consumers an incredible amount of money at the grocery store.

Not only that, but commenters identified another problem with this package design. Each package uses more plastic when designed this way, and it takes more total packages to equal the same amount of nuts. "This is not only deceptive, it also creates MORE plastic waste. This BS is bad in two ways," said one user. The extra plastic is bad for the environment, producing microplastics, and it also costs more money to produce, upping expenses for the manufacturer, which raises the final cost of the item.

Is Hampton Farms doing anything about this?

While Hampton Farms appears to have sustainability on its radar, as evidenced by its shared blog post about peanut sustainability, it has not published any material regarding its plastic packaging practices. It has also not shared any information about specific steps it has taken to make its own farming practices more sustainable — only general information about peanut farming and the sustainable uses for peanut byproducts. Clearly, there is a lot more it could be doing to protect the environment.

What can I do to reduce the impact of excessive plastic packaging?

While they aren't a typical garden crop, peanuts and other nuts can be grown across much of the United States, allowing you to avoid plastic packaging on these snacks entirely. Otherwise, look for options sold in sustainable paper or cardboard packaging, compostable plastic substitutes, or at least ones that use minimal plastic.

Should companies be required to help recycle their own products? Definitely 👍 No way 👎 It depends on the product 🤔 They should get tax breaks instead 💰 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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