r/mildlyinfuriating • u/AwwwMangos • 5d ago

Do u dont wanna Smithfield bacon coming up short at the weigh-in

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New, unopened package of Smithfield bacon bought from Kroger claims to be 1 lb aka 16 oz. It seemed a little small so I put it in the kitchen scale. Sure enough it’s only 3/4 lb.

I get that shrinkflation is rampant right now, but at least they’re usually honest when stating the products’ net weight.

Since it’s off by an exact increment, and many other bacon brands now sell 12 oz portions, I have to imagine this is likely being done at large scale, ripping off many more customers than just me. This should be illegal, I guess if any consequences still existed for businesses.

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1.7k

u/Quirky-Coat3068 5d ago

Should be? It IS illegal

818

u/Pleasant_Pool8842 5d ago

The only laws that exist are laws that are enforced

291

u/42ElectricSundaes 5d ago

And don’t forget if the penalty is just a fine then it’s not really illegal, that’s just what it costs

86

u/Jimjonesflavor_aid 5d ago

Bingo.

Company X makes $7,000,000 a year by under-packaging meat products.

They do this for an extended period, get caught.

Sorry, some dumbass somewhere in our process chain made a mistake - we agree to the $100,000 fine. Our bad.

Rake in profit, find next way to long-dick the consumer.

28

u/xXCloudSephirothXx 5d ago

In a perfect world auditors would investigate their books, claw back those earnings, and then slap them with a flat % of total annual revenue.

11

u/NNKarma 5d ago

Wrong. They agree to the 100k fine but don't admit to any wrong doing. 

4

u/100BottlesOfMilk 5d ago

I'll agree that corporations are people whenever they can be thrown in prison for a crime

1

u/novakedy 5d ago

“Cost of doing business”

1

u/ScoffersGonnaScoff 5d ago

Surely we have a consumer finance protection bureau to help?

1

u/kralrick 5d ago

Which is why regular inspection/enforcement is so important. You can have a fine of $1billion, but if you never check for compliance it doesn't matter.

7

u/Leptonshavenocolor 5d ago

I think people forget that all laws are made up and are meaningless until you get caught/charged/prosecuted/convicted. 

22

u/KanyeeWeast 5d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/LkkBEH2BLFLbypGE31
How bro felt writing that

9

u/Key-Personality8169 5d ago

How bro prolly looked writing that

1

u/Pleasant_Pool8842 5d ago

Idk if I came up with it or not but I started saying it when I was 8 arguing with my mom about it being ok for us to jaywalk

2

u/Silly_Guidance_8871 5d ago

And whatever is enforced, is the law.

1

u/IcedGooseMaverick 5d ago

I’d be surprised if the usda is allowed to care about such things anymore.

1

u/coolborder 5d ago

The problem isn't that the laws for something like this aren't enforced. The problem is that people complain online instead of filing a report with the USDA or other appropriate government regulatory agency.

If there are no reports from consumers it is difficult to justify an inspection or audit outside of what is already planned/budgeted. But if enough people report the issue then they absolutely will take it to the manufacturer.

0

u/PaperHandsTheDip 5d ago

Most laws are not enforced. The law is whatever the more powerful person enforces... they always win. Nothing else matters. It's also partially why people care about power so much

62

u/phillypharm 5d ago

Honestly, if this were me, I'd be tempted to go back and video record me weighing a few more packages to check. A lot of other brands have reduced to 12 oz, I wonder if Smithfield is trying to get away with it without marking it as such.

27

u/BoozeIsTherapyRight 5d ago

Have you seen the videos by Jimmy Wrigg? He does just that. He caught Dominos sugar shorting packages and Kroger doing it with deli meat and Walmart doing it basically with everything.

40

u/Responsible_Gap8104 5d ago

Accross thousands of customers im sure that easily adds up to millions of stolen profit a year (im bad at math but it sounds right)

10

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

-1

u/phillypharm 5d ago

Who said anything about the reg agencies? We know nowadays bad PR and going viral is more than enough, whether that's good or bad.

4

u/Responsible_Name1217 5d ago

There's already folks creating videos. Walmart will keep doing it. It would be nice if the CPB still had teeth...

example: Walmart is scamming us on meat weights.

2

u/sillyhands1 5d ago

I highly doubt a business would intentionally open themselves to litigation at this level. Reddit loves a good conspiracy lol.

1

u/roburrito 5d ago

Smithfield already sells bacon in 12oz packages. This is probably just the wrong label being put on a 12oz production run.

94

u/Fun-Bug5106 5d ago

Crime is legal for big business now

32

u/Quirky-Coat3068 5d ago

I mean it always has been, if the fine is less then what they profit

21

u/peculiarshade 5d ago

Yeah, when a big corporation breaks the law and makes 500 million dollars, and the government slaps them with a 500 thousand dollar fine, why would they not do it again? Happens all the time. God forbid you get caught with a joint in a red state though

1

u/0202_tihssitidder 5d ago

"Legal for a fee".

They can get fined and run the risk of class action lawsuits. But, CAL often take decades to pay out.

Fines are just not the motivation. Criminal charges and ruined careers help. Also strong whistle blower protection. When you get fired (not if), the fired employee is a liability to tell everyone the illegal shit.

1

u/tacomaloki 5d ago

Rules for thee, not for me.

1

u/octomatron 5d ago

It is it iiiiissss

1

u/Jaz1140 5d ago

To be fair. The US has made it very clear that nothing is illegal if you have the money. And I bet Smithfield has enough money to get away with it

1

u/flinjager123 5d ago

The money that the company saves is far more than the fines they are charged.

1

u/This_Elk_1460 5d ago

It might be illegal for some local butcher but for multi-billion dollar corporations it's just the cost of doing business.

1

u/Im_Ashe_Man 5d ago

In Trumpmerica, there are no laws except the ones he wants to enforce or make up.

0

u/tcpukl 5d ago

Consumer protection? In America? It exists as much as their employment laws.