Ok, has anyone else noticed twinkies and Hostess products don't taste as good as they used to?

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43. It's due to the bean counters. ...

Any company who develops a product that is well liked and successful has to beware of the bean counters in their organization.

Such people make their living by finding ways to increase profits and in order to justify their salaries they often don't just improve production techniques but gradually decrease the quality of the ingredients in the product. Any small changes in the product can increase profits enormously but can also ruin the reputation of the product.

When the bean counters are successful in producing a less expensive version of their product by cheapening the ingredients, they often force other companies to reduce the quality of their own product in order to compete.

Since the changes are gradual most people never notice the difference.

I've noticed the Campbell's Chunky Soups are getting less and less Chunky every time I buy them. In my opinion this product that was once a great meal now requires that I add vegetables and meat to compensate for the efforts of the bean counters. I've tried other varieties of chunky soups but they also seem far more watered down then they once were.

Of course the final solution I will eventually go to is to make my own chunky soup in a fairly large quantity at one time and freeze what I don't eat. It's a pain but the result will be a more enjoyable meal. It is possible that more and more people will decide to do the same and the profits made by companies like Campbell will decrease enough to cause them to once again produce a top quality product.