Some screaming over ice-cream packaging

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The half-gallon ice-cream container — the sweet standard of grocery freezers for decades — is quietly starting to shrink.

While manufacturers over the years reduced the package size of everything from candy bars to dish detergent, the traditional ice-cream "brick" remained what it was — the half-gallon.

Now, pinched by rising costs of ingredients and afraid to raise prices already above $5, at least two ice-cream makers have started quietly phasing out the half-gallon with a 1.75-quart carton. Others are considering doing the same.

Dreyer's, which is based in Oakland, Calif., and sells the Dreyer's and Edy's brands, began introducing the smaller package in March. The new and old cartons can be found side by side during the transition, identical in shape and design — and price.

Asked about the move, Dreyer's cites a $30 million jump last year in the cost of butter fat and other ingredients. Dreyer's is one of the biggest manufacturers, with annual sales of $1.4 billion.

Other major ice-cream makers are sticking with the half-gallon for now. About three-quarters of all ice cream is sold by the half-gallon, according to the International Ice Cream Association.

Customers do notice change, and some don't appreciate it.

"Everybody's doing it," complained Dorothy McGrath, 73, of Linwood, N.J., as she shopped the ice-cream aisle at a Super Fresh supermarket in Egg Harbor Township recently. "The same thing happened with laundry detergent. The brands I used to buy in 100-ounce bottles are now 80 ounces, only the price is the same. They're cheating the public, because they don't advertise it."

She gets so angry when product sizes shrink that she sometimes switches to a different brand in protest.

That's a legitimate concern, according to ice-cream-industry consultant Malcolm Stogo.

"The public does not like to see downsizing." said Stogo. "They think they're being cheated. Putting a 1.75-quart container out instead of a half-gallon container is very deceptive."

"Most consumers view ice cream as a luxury purchase, a small indulgence, and are somewhat more price-elastic," said Eric Katzman, food analyst for Deutsche Bank.