[Matjjalal X File] Jjinger Burger Missing Tomato? ... The Twist of 'Gyemo Touch' Amid Controversy Over Tricks

'Hamburger Shrinkflation' Triggered by Zinger Burger
5 out of 6 Franchises Say "No Ingredient Diet"
The Real Reason Why Mom's Touch Cyburger Actually Increased Its Filling

Editor's Note[Matjalal X-Files] uncovers misunderstandings and truths about food.

Recently, KFC sparked controversy by removing tomatoes from its popular menu item, the 'Zinger Burger.' This change came 30 years after its launch in 1996. What made it more aggravating was that the company quietly changed only the photos on its website without any announcement, which intensified consumer anger. The price remained the same at 5,500 won. Most customers only realized the tomato was missing after ordering and eating the burger.

KFC explained that they excluded tomatoes "to focus more on the chicken flavor by implementing the global original recipe as it is." However, consumers viewed this as a typical case of 'shrinkflation.'

Shrinkflation is a portmanteau of 'shrink' and 'inflation,' referring to the practice of reducing quantity or size while keeping the price the same to increase profits. The term was coined in 2009 by British economist Pippa Malmgren. Recent examples include Dongwon Yangban Gim reducing sheets from 10 to 9, and Seoul Milk Cheddar Cheese decreasing from 400g to 360g.

"No wonder it feels like hamburgers are getting smaller every time I see them..."

The Zinger Burger controversy has turned hamburger enthusiasts' suspicions into certainty. They assume other companies might be doing the same.

Is 'hamburger shrinkflation' real? To find out if there are other cases of removing or reducing ingredients like the Zinger Burger, we directly contacted the PR teams of six franchises: KFC, McDonald's, Lotteria, Mom's Touch, Burger King, and No Brand Burger.

Contrary to expectations, five franchises other than KFC responded that there is no 'ingredient diet.' Officially, it was confirmed that hamburger shrinkflation is mostly just a feeling.

In fact, there was a hamburger whose official weight increased significantly from 200g in 2021 to 230g currently. It was Mom's Touch's Cyburger. This was surprising because Mom's Touch, acquired by private equity firm KL & Partners in 2019, had been criticized for poor ingredient quality and harshly nicknamed 'Step-mom Touch.'

It turned out that the burger itself did not get bigger; rather, automating the cutting of chicken thigh patties minimized errors, resulting in a higher average weight. A Mom's Touch representative said, "Unlike ground beef patties, whole chicken thigh meat is difficult to trim precisely, so there used to be significant thickness differences in patties. Thanks to refined automation now, we maintain almost identical weights."

At one point, if the patty was too thin, store owners would sometimes fry two patties at their discretion. So, consumers lucky enough to have experienced two patties might feel the current Cyburger is thinner. However, Mom's Touch explains that now customers can consistently get the correct portion regardless of luck.

Have your suspicions about hamburger shrinkflation eased somewhat? Of course, some may think that manuals are just manuals and that variations might exist between stores. McDonald's prevents such cases by randomly selecting core menu items sold domestically, like the Big Mac, and sending them to their global quality center in Hong Kong for inspection.

Meanwhile, another reason consumer suspicion about hamburger shrinkflation has grown is the difficulty in noticing changes in quantity or size compared to processed foods. Many have compared prices per 100g when buying snacks or dumplings at stores like E-Mart or Coupang. To help consumers make informed choices, we gathered the price per 100g of representative menu items from hamburger franchises.

The most cost-effective was Mom's Touch Cyburger at 2,000 won per 100g. Next were No Brand nbb Signature (2,254 won), Burger King Whopper (2,415 won), KFC Zinger Burger (2,444 won), McDonald's Big Mac (2,466 won), and Lotteria Bulgogi Burger (2,500 won).

We hope incidents like the Zinger Burger controversy do not repeat in the food industry. Of course, we understand the companies' circumstances. Shrinkflation is a trick devised because raw material prices, logistics, and labor costs keep rising, but prices cannot be increased due to government oversight and consumer scrutiny. Still, consumers want honesty. They want to be able to choose knowingly. Shrinkflation without prior notice not only erodes customer loyalty but can also backfire, leading to boycotts.