'Shrinkflation' has hit over 2,500 consumer products over the past five years

More than  2,500 consumers products have shrunk in size over the past five years despite being sold for the same price, official data shows. 

According to the Office for National Statistics items the so called "shrinkflation" effect has hit items ranging from chocolate bars, toilet rolls, coffee and fruit juice. However most of the items getting smaller were food products.

Over the same period 614 products had become larger between 2012 and 2017.

The data revealed the idea that Brexit has led to a "shrinkflation" boom, due to the weaker pound making imports more expensive, is a fallacy.

Despite it contributing to an increase in the price of some imported goods, the ONS dismissed Brexit as a reason for recent shrinkflation.

"Our analysis doesn't show a noticeable change following the referendum that would point to a Brexit effect," it said.

It also cast doubt on whether the cost of raw materials, on which manufacturers have often blamed price hikes, has actually increased. 

The European import price of sugar has been falling since the middle of 2014, and reached a record low in March 2017, it said.

Meanwhile price of cocoa, another major ingredient, reached a five-year high in December 2015, but has fallen sharply over the last year.