Betty I share your dismay, but the bread size has also shrunk, about everything from the Big Mac which is more like the Big Biscuit now to discovering the OJ with two different size containers in the cooler the same price, identical except for size, evidently the salesmanager forgot to instruct his troops not to mix the containers displaying the sham. I know Corp. America considers us stupid, I figure they must have learned it from our government who have made an art of deception and greed. I guess its time we hear its all for our own good, we are a nation of fatties, enough starvation will fix that. I'll ask my doctor when I can afford to see him.

It might be a blessing in disguise for most Americians, whose portion sizes have grown in size for decades. This is one way to fight the obsesity epidemic, through people's wallets.

And we won't be able to use tuna in recipes anymore - most recipes I have call for a 7 to 7 1/2 ounce size can!

KROGER STILL PUTS 6 OZS. IN THERE BRAND!TRY IT YOU'LL LIKE IT!

WORKING FOR ONE OF THOSE COMPANY"S THAT DID THIS I"LL SAY THIS .. WALMART!!!!!!
THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY PRICE INCREASES FROM THIER SUPPLIERS. SINCE WALMART IS 30 -TO 35 % OF OUR BUSNIESS YOU HAVE TO RECOUP THE 6% TO 9% COST INCREASE SOMEWAY .
THATS WHY ITS SO WIDE SPREAD . MOST COMPANIES HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO RECOUP RISING COSTS......

I wouldn't say the public is being "duped" as much as they are just unknowingly absorbing the increasing costs of transporting and packaging of the goods they buy. High oil prices affect the manufacturing process as much as the transporting of goods and manufacturers don't want to turn consumers away from their products by highly visible price increases.

Be a smart shopper. Choose generics over name brands. When you buy name brands, YOU are paying for their advertising costs and nothing more. Many generics are just as good or even better than their name brand counterparts.

If you buy only name brand products, then you ARE being "duped" into believing advertising campaigns at the expense of your own wallet.

I agree with Gary. I shop at stores like Aldi and Sav-A-Lot (I don't know if all states have them or not, I live in Ohio) which sell very good quality products for much less than you would pay for name brands at a regular grocery store. When I do shop at a regular store I almost always buy store brands or generics. Most of them are identical to the name brand, you're just not paying for the name. There are some things I refuse to buy generic (mostly household and hygeine products such as shampoo, dish liquid, laundry detergent) but these I buy at dollar stores. It may seem comical to be so cheap, but it really saves a lot of money. People should quit being "choosy" snobs and just do what makes sense...and cents.

Gary, you must not know what good food is. Ever notice how generic canned tomatoes/tomato paste taste like the aluminum can they are packaged in? Generic food may be edible, but as a chef, I know the importance of using quality ingredients, and rarely do generics every qualify. I am paying for quality food, not the name brand. If the generic brands made a peanut butter that tastes exactly like Jif, I would buy it. Notice how generic veggies are full of tough parts, discolored pieces and inedible ends? You're wasting your money having to throw away half of those.
Most generic foods do not qualify to be in my kitchen. You can go ahead and eat that junk, but I'll stick with the good stuff. My grandmother still says that nobody can possibly taste the difference between margarine and butter. Perhaps you think the same? I won't buy margarine either, which has the same ingredients as plastic and is full of water.

Come now Brenda, you want people to believe margarine is made out of crude oil like plastics? On average the quality of store brands and top name brands are not all that different as many are packaged in the same plant by the same company but with a different label depicting the store that is sell it for a lower price. As for peanut butter, which I do not use often, I would not waste my money are all the added junk in most of the name brands. Give me natural peanut butter any day (Kirkland Brand). As a chef you should know most value brands are not all that much different than name brands and are processed in much the same manner, often in the same locations. Learn your facts rather than attempting to encourage people to spend inflated prices for the same product. (BTW I hope I never eat where you are chef, as I would not want to pay the extra for brand names in the thought I am receiving a better final product).

Brenda~
Most every human being knows exactly what good quality food is. The sad reality is, we can't afford $4.00 per pound tomatoes, and so on.

Most generic canned food as of recent have drastically improved in quality and the so-called named brands have reduced in quality and quantity. It just depends on where you buy it from.

You say you are "paying for quality food, not the name brand." If it's not generic, you may be getting quality food, but you are still paying for the label and the advertising that goes with it.

It doesn't take a chef to know how to take a group of generic foods and make a gourmet meal out of it while saving money and keeping the family fed.

What do you think CREAMY peanut butter is? LOL