It's all over the news that grocery prices have risen about 40%, but what you don't hear too often is that our food is shrinking.

When I shop I pay attention to unit cost, but most people do not. They see that something is the same price that it was last week and all is well. Instead of raising prices, many manufacturers choose to decrease the amount in the package.

Diaper manufacturers have always done it. Instead of having thirty diapers in the package, they change it to 27 diapers in the package. That's a ten percent decrease in product for the same money.

Yoogurt was one of the first items I noticed that started shrinking. Yogurt always used to be eight ounce cups. Over time, almost all companies have gone to six ounce cups. I don't know about you, but when I'm on a diet,

I NEED THAT EXTRA 2 OUNCES!

It is happening with cereal, canned goods, french fries and just about everything you can think of, but the most distressing thing is the ice cream.

Ice cream used to be two quarts. Always. Don't you remember your mother saying "Go pick out half a gallon of ice cream"?

Well, ice cream in half gallon containers is a thing of the past.

First it went to 1.75 gallons. That's a 12.5% decrease. Most people never noticed - it wasn't that much of a difference.

Now, most of my favortie brands are 1.5 gallons. Have you looked at a container of ice cream lately? They a 25% smaller than they used to be. If you didn't notice the first decrease is size, you will certainly notice this one.

If you eat a cup of ice cream per serving, you now have two less servings per container.

For the same price or more!

I don't know about you, but two less servings is causing problems in my house. Nobody here has complained about the broccoli being 25% smaller, but the ice cream is causing conflicts.

What's the answer? I don't know, but this really seems more like deflation than inflation.