The Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato treats from Meiji remain iconic in the world of Japanese snacks. Unfortunately, along with just about everything else, they’re getting more expensive. Rather than raise prices, however, Meiji is opting instead to give customers less than what they paid for.
Starting in March, Meiji announced, they’ll cut the quantity of both Kinoko – the company’s famous chocolate-topped mushroom-shaped cracker – and mock rival Takenoko – its chocolate-coated cookie – by 11%. The company will keep the snack sizes the same but ship less per box.
Along with shrinking its snack candies, Meiji says it’ll also raise the prices of 114 other products from between 4% to 33%.
Meiji says the move is necessary due to rising production costs. Besides the costs of goods, the company says fuel and transportation costs are also playing a part.
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The move makes the two snacks the latest victim of shrinkflation, an increasingly common tactic where manufacturers in Japan respond to rising prices by lowering the volume sold. Japanese consumers are increasingly griping about shrinkflation as the costs of everything from eggs to cabbage continue to rise.
While produced by the same company, Kinoko and Takenoko have had a mock “rivalry” for years, with fans either belonging to the Kinoko Faction or the Takenoko Faction. While Takenoko no Sato is typically the most popular, Kinoko no Yama is the most iconic, with Meiji even releasing a limited-edition set of Kinoko-shaped earbuds.
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