At first glance, it’s just a pepper tin on your spice rack. But look closer—and you’ll find a quiet battle over transparency, trust, and truth in packaging.
The conflict between McCormick & Co., the spice giant, and Watkins Inc., a smaller heritage brand, isn’t about flavor—it’s about how much you’re really getting… and whether you can see it.
For years, McCormick sold its “Peppercorn Medley”and other ground pepper blends in 8-ounce round tins—a familiar staple in kitchens across America.
But recently, consumers and competitors noticed something subtle: the tins looked the same… but now held only 6 ounces of pepper—a 25% reductionin product, with little change in price.
McCormick hasn’t hidden the new net weight—it’s printed on the label. But because the tins are opaque and unchanged in size, the missing quarter-pound isn’t obvious until you open it… or compare it side-by-side with a full tin.
Enter Watkins Inc., a 150-year-old company known for transparent practices. They’ve long sold pepper in smaller, clear glass jars—so you can see exactly how much you’re buying. Now, they’re publicly calling out what they call “deceptive downsizing”—a practice known in the industry as “shrinkflation.”
