Can shrinking Meal-For-One portions make you overweight?

Date

Saturday, 21 June, 2008

Content Prepared meals for one that you buy at supermarkets are getting smaller. Pretty obvious I think, to people who regularly eat these meals and who keep an eye on value for money. They'd notice the shrinking portions irrespective of manufacturers' declarations of new sizes bringing new dish designs, new recipes or even more cynically, a new, healthier portion (yeah, less of the additives right?).

I thought of this shrinking portions issue when I read a recent article by Martin Samuel in The Times newspaper (9th May) where he cites the removal of beef from economy BA flights, as being a cost saving measure.

British Airways play the "controversy" down as protecting the consumer's health by only offering the healthier options of chicken and fish, strangely enough, whilst beef is still available in business class. No need to worry about them, Martin observes.

Anyway, I digress. It's annoying that portion sizes I knew whilst being single and cash strapped years ago, have since shrunk, but I guess its understandable when the bottomline is so important for companies to survive. However, do they have to patronise their customers with such transparent reasons?

Which brings me to the point at which people buy these meals. Singletons know that a meal for one is not going to fill them. They've already "tried believing" the hype that companies spin about the new portion size being healthier, but they still don't feel satisfied afterwards (well, I wouldn't be).

So therefore, a supply of meals for one, may not only serve as single servings but double servings in one go. One and a half meals might do the job, but you can't cook half of one, right?

Or am I just a greedy b******?

Footnote - I know smaller meals could be eaten more often throughout the day rather than in one go, but my beef (geddit?) is the fact that the portions have shrunk.

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