It seems to me that ají/dedo-de-moça is undergoing the same process here in South America. People went from "whoa, you're adding a whole pepper!" to "...meh, add two just to be safe".

It's a tragedy.

I get my chiles from a Mexican grocer for exactly this reason. They're actually a bit spicy!

Serranos from the major supermarkets are also less spicy than they should be.