To direct the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate regulations that prohibit the practice of deceptive downsizing, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Correa (for himself, Mr. Fields, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill, called the Deceptive Downsizing Prohibition Act of 2025, aims to stop companies from shrinking products while keeping the same packaging size to mislead consumers. It requires manufacturers to clearly disclose when a product has been reduced in size, preventing the hidden price increases that occur when you get less product for the same money.
Who Benefits and How
Consumers are the primary beneficiaries. They will receive clear, conspicuous notices on packaging when products have been reduced in size, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions. This protects shoppers from unknowingly paying the same price for less product - a practice that has contributed to inflation and reduced consumer purchasing power.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Consumer goods manufacturers - including food, household products, and other consumer product makers - face new compliance requirements. They must either: (1) redesign packaging when reducing product size, or (2) prominently display the size change on the packaging with clear comparisons to the previous size. Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive trade practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act, exposing manufacturers to FTC enforcement actions and penalties.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) takes on new regulatory and enforcement responsibilities to implement and police these anti-shrinkflation rules.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits deceptive downsizing: Bans manufacturers from selling reduced-size products in the same or substantially similar packaging previously used for larger versions
- Safe harbor with disclosure: Manufacturers can avoid liability by providing clear, conspicuous notice on packaging that states both the original larger size and the new reduced size
- FTC enforcement: Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive acts under the FTC Act, giving the Commission full authority to investigate and penalize offenders
- Rulemaking authority: The FTC may issue additional regulations to implement the law's requirements
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to protect consumers from deceptive practices by prohibiting manufacturers from using the same or similar packaging for reduced-size consumer products, ensuring clear and conspicuous notice of size changes.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_commission"
- → Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Congressional findings on the practice of deceptive downsizing, its impact on consumers and inflation, and the need for federal intervention.
A reduction in volume, size, mass, weight, or quantity of a consumer product relative to the larger-sized version.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology