Quick Take — Shrinkflation: same price but less product – new rules come into force on 15 July

Drafted on 13 July, updated on 14 July 2026

From 15 July, therefore, the new measures against shrinkflation will come into force, but the regulations appear to have been watered down and lack teeth: according to the Mimit decree, the obligation for manufacturers to include the wording “This pack contains X (unit of measurement) less than the previous quantity”, which has been replaced by a communication system throughout the supply chain involving both physical and online distributors and retailers.

In the event of a reduction in a product’s nominal quantity, the parties in the supply chain (manufacturers, distributors) must send retailers a standardised notice containing information on the change, and the percentage price increase attributable to the reduction in content; this information must be made available to consumers at points of sale or via digital channels…

How? Via signs, for three months. It is not yet known what the possible penalties might be.

Read more on this topic here.

Below: two cases of product ‘shrinkage’, where the price remained the same, reported by Altroconsumo and highlighted by Il Fatto Alimentare.

All the major brands, such as Ferrero, Barilla and Fage, have practised ‘shrinkflation’.

Quick Take — Carrefour opens its first Match Frais: the target is 160 outlets by 2030

Source:

Carrefour, which currently operates Carrefour hypermarkets, Carrefour Market, Carrefour City, Carrefour Express, Carrefour Contact, Carrefour Montagne, Promocash, Supeco, Atacadao and Carrefour City Potager. With this existing brand, as Olivier Dauvers explains on LinkedIn, it certainly aims to compete with Grand Frais.

French supermarkets face the same challengesin the fruit and vegetable sector as their Italian counterparts.

However, given that the name ‘Carrefour’ appears to have disappeared from the signage once again, it is unclear what synergies – in terms of marketing, purchasing and sales – might exist with the group’s head office regarding fresh produce, particularly as the head office will still supply part of the product range (e.g. ready meals). Perhaps only with major brands, such as Coca-Cola or Ferrero’s Nutella, which Match – unlike Grand Frais – will offer its customers.

Faced with this umpteenth attempt by the French group, scepticism remains amongst those who have worked there: they saw Carrefour as a model but have also witnessed – over the years – how it has squandered energy and money on a series of fruitless ‘experiments’. 

Drafted on 7 July, updated on 10 July 2026

Quick Take — Double appointment at Ferrero: Alessandro Nervegna new ceo core and Lapo Civiletti…

The CEO will take over the top products. He succeeds Lapo Civiletti, who will continue as Vice President of Ferrero International and will take over the role of President of Ferrero Ice Cream and the new project Wk Kellogg Co.

The change, which has just been announced, was decided at the board meeting on 11 February 2026 and will take effect on 1 September 2026.

Both managers will work closely with the chairman of the holding company Giovanni Ferrero.

Lapo was my schoolmate at Leone XIII: you can see him below, in the fourth row, third from the left.

Our lives crossed paths again when I was commercial director at Esselunga and he was a senior manager at Dolma (Mars group).

You can read about Ferrero here.

Edited 5 March, updated 8 March 2026