Chris wrote to Consumerist upset about one of his favorite desserts, Pepperidge Farm’s Milano cookies. The cookies seemed smaller, he said, estimating that they had “reduced the size of the cookies by about 25%.” Was that true? We took his question to the brand’s headquarters, which is not in a farmhouse in Maine.

We asked whether the Milano line had recently been repackaged or reformulated, which is usually when the Grocery Shrink Ray strikes. No, they said. “We take great pride in the history of our brand and are using the same style of white bakery bag that has been used for the past 60+ years as a part of Pepperidge Farm’s heritage,” Pepperidge Farm’s Senior Brand Manager, Elizabeth Suchy, told Consumerist in an e-mail. “Our traditional Milano cookie retains the same number of cookies in their white fluted cups.” The package size, the company said, hasn’t changed.

What does lead to some variation in Milano bag sizes are different lines of cookies. The standard cookie lineup is like this:

• The original version of the cookie comes in a 6-ounce bag.
• Flavored versions come in a 7 ounce bag.
• The double chocolate version comes in a 7.5-ounce bag.

Now, wait a minute: this sizing scheme means that the double chocolate version of the cookie is exactly 25% larger than the original version. An original cookie is that much smaller by weight if not by volume, and would seem different.

We’re happy to report that Milano cookies haven’t been Shrink Rayed, though.

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