Classic potato chips Pringles, the saddle-shaped chip sold in cardboard cylinders, have shrunk in size and are being sold in a deceptively similar package of the same height but with a smaller diameter.

The new shrunken cylinders, which are being stacked on supermarket shelves among the older, larger tubes,are being sold in some shops for just ten cents less than their predecessors.

The shrinkage means that Pringles are now more expensive by stealth, the cost blowing out from $2.70 per 100g to $2.98.

Consumers took to the Pringles Down Under Facebook page to criticise the new smaller Pringles, which were made in Kellogg's Malasyian factory, saying 'we much prefer the larger USA chips'.

Wendy Ann Williams posted on the page, 'same price, less Pringles, taste inferior, won't be buying again'.

Classic potato chips Pringles (right, blue package) have shrunk in size and are being sold in a deceptively similar package of the same height but with a smaller diameter (left, green package)

Stac 150g sizeked up against each other on a shelf in Woolworths, the smaller size has been reduced to just 134g from the

Josh Thompson wrote 'Tried the new pringles today ... very disappointing. I've been buying Pringles for years so disappointed lacking in flavour heaps smaller. Won't be buying them again.'

A response from Pringles on the Facebook page said, 'due to the incredibly high demand of Pringles worldwide, we've expanded out production to a brand new factory in Malaysia ... it made sense to standardise production which has brought minor changes to packaging and size for Australia'.

Along with the chip size reduction and packet shrinkage, the Pringles logo has also shrunk.

Pringles lovers responded to the size shrinkage, with some saying 'won't be buying again'

A stylised cartoon head of a male figure with a large moustache and parted hair, known as 'Julius Pringles', is now several centimetres smaller.

Pringles, which are manufactured by the Kellogg company and sold in more than 140 countries, were introduced in 1967 and sold internationally from 1991.

Pringles chips have shrunk in size from the classic 150g pack (above)

Unlike classic potato chips or crisps, they are made of around 40 per cent potato and the remainder from wheat and vegetable flours.

They come in several flavours, from original to salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, barbecue and cheddar cheese.

A spokesperson for Pringles told Daily Mail Australia, said the Malaysian plant had eventuated after the main Pringles manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tennessee ran out of capacity.

'The equipment in our Malaysia plant is different to Tennessee, which means the way we make Pringles and the size of the packaging is also different,' he said.

'We don’t like to make price changes, however since 2012 the input costs of making Pringles has gone up, so you’ll notice that price per kg has increased.