| Coming off the holiday season, I feel like | | | | point?) |
| packaging is getting a bad "wrap". I have been | | | | Every day I see new and incredibly innovative |
| inundated with stories about how packaging is a | | | | new products (many of which couldn't exist |
| bad thing: People getting cut trying to open a | | | | without the package). Take the fresh produce |
| package: adults spending the hours wrestling with | | | | category for example. Pre-washed, ready to eat |
| opening a package, families members hauling bag | | | | carrots in a bag are not produced by a simple |
| after bag of non-recyclable packaging materials to | | | | process. People are astounded when I explain to |
| the curb and so on. | | | | them exactly what makes this product work. Kids |
| Interestingly, I did a segment for NBC TV about | | | | especially just take it for granted. Carrots plus |
| toy packaging and illustrated why toys are packed | | | | bag - for them, it's a fact of life. This entire |
| in a particular manner. It proved to be quite | | | | category didn't exist 10 years ago, now it's one |
| fascinating. Unfortunately, the producer wrapped | | | | of the most important and profitable supermarket |
| up the segment with angry consumers trying to | | | | areas. This category works because the package |
| open toy packages. The consumers were hacking, | | | | makes it happen. |
| ripping and tearing away at what they deemed | | | | When speaking at a university recently, I |
| were over packaged products. If you had seen | | | | mentioned the Tylenol package incident. Guess |
| this segment or have read some of the articles I | | | | what I got. I got blank stares from a generation |
| have seen since the holiday you would believe | | | | of students too young to remember pre-tamper |
| that packaging is the scourge of the modern | | | | evident lids. They did not realize the Tylenol |
| world. Can those who are not involved in the | | | | incident spawned a whole new category of |
| industry begin understand the role of packaging? | | | | tamper evident materials and packaging. Again, |
| Don't get me wrong. I know there are examples | | | | something the average consumer |
| of excess and bad packaging in every category, | | | | misconstrues--products have seals and tabs to |
| but the searing question is where would we be | | | | make them difficult to get into. Product integrity |
| without the package. The package is essential. | | | | drove the innovation packaging that makes up |
| Getting product from point A to point B in good | | | | this entire category of packaging materials. |
| condition sounds simple enough. But who thinks | | | | As I travel the world, I am reminded that many |
| about that? More importantly why should you | | | | of the packaging innovations that exist in the U.S. |
| care? | | | | aren't available in other countries. In fact there are |
| I know I do. Sometimes I get carried away at | | | | many countries where the whole foodservice |
| the store. I have been known to turn over the | | | | category simply doesn't exist. Imagine, No Grab |
| box and spill the contents to see who made it or | | | | and Go, No Ready to Eat, No Ready to Serve, no |
| open the package at the store to see if I can get | | | | HMR-Home Meal Replacement.... Where would we |
| into it. I'm an avid reporter of damaged goods to | | | | be without this category of packaged products? |
| the store manager. I feel it's my civic duty to | | | | We'd spend much more time in the kitchen for |
| report when I see that a packaged is damaged at | | | | sure, so cooks should take notice. |
| the store. I anxiously walk the store isles hoping I | | | | We expect things packaged to be "PrePared." |
| can find a failure. (A package that didn't do its | | | | When you examine the supermarket, this |
| job.) I use these as examples when I speak | | | | category is exploding. Preseasoned, precooked, |
| about the role of packaging. It's much easier to | | | | premeasured, the list goes on. Pre-something |
| make the point about the package when you can | | | | foods have surpassed the plain meat category. |
| show that something is broken or damaged. Then | | | | Once again, it's the packaging that does all the |
| people understand. | | | | work to make this category possible and |
| An interview for an upcoming Forbes article about | | | | successful. |
| the most important package innovations in the | | | | Next time you visit a supermarket, consider what |
| last 30 years got me thinking about all of the | | | | products couldn't exist without a package. One of |
| packaging innovations we take for granted. Where | | | | my favorite tricks with students is to send |
| would we be without the aluminum can, the PET | | | | around a bag of smashed potato chips or a |
| bottle, the toothpaste tube, the pizza box, the | | | | broken egg. That opens a lot of eyes. A simple |
| milk carton, the juice box, the zip lock bag and so | | | | egg carton, mull over how that has evolved over |
| on? The list is endless. These packaging | | | | the years. The materials, the shape, the number |
| innovations impact the way we shop and eat | | | | of eggs per carton have all evolved. It's amazing. |
| every day. Packaging drives 10% of every dollar | | | | Even the most common items require a package |
| we spend at retail. | | | | of some sophistication. |
| This is a hidden but necessary cost that we | | | | Many of the latest packaging innovations have |
| never consider. | | | | been developed as a result of a need. Tamper |
| Packaging is so commonplace, i.e., the corrugated | | | | evident and anti-counterfeit are two examples |
| box, that people think it just exists. Maybe it is | | | | that come to mind. All those holographic seals and |
| the fruit of some exotic tree. Little do they know | | | | packages you can't get into exist for a reason. |
| how complicated the process is to get that | | | | That's what most people fail to realize. The |
| product from the tree to the finished result. | | | | inherent problems in opening a package exist for |
| This pencil analogy is the best example I can | | | | protection - the product's or ours. |
| come up with when explaining to people the | | | | Consider where we would be in any disaster relief |
| intricacies of packaging. Simple pencil | | | | effort without packaging, no food no water no |
| manufacturing is very complex. Someone shapes | | | | medical supplies. All of these items are |
| the wood, another one extrudes the lead, another | | | | transported in some type of packaging. |
| one provides the eraser and another one provides | | | | So the next time you want to give packaging a |
| the wire thingy that attaches the eraser to the | | | | bad "wrap" think about how you would shop, eat |
| pencil. Finally, someone assembles it all. (Get the | | | | and just plain exist without packaging. |