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Its the 21st century, yet there still are annoying grocerypackaging designs.
Why are cereal and chip bags not resealable?
Also, the foil seals.
Do we really need them for peanut butter, yogurt and fruit cups?
YA thriller author Kayla Ancrumspost on Xabout similar products recently went viral.
She shared a few ideas on how manufacturers could improve the annoying packaging of some products.
Bored Pandagot in touch with the author of this viral X thread, YA author Kayla Ancrum.
She was kind enough to answer a few questions.
it’s possible for you to read our short interview with her below!
I tend to treat my social media as a journal of sorts, Kayla tells Bored Panda.
I, like many others, was in the mood to complain.
Kayla knows a thing or two about going viral then.
She says she did expect her post to reach a certain virality.
She then shares the qualities she thinks a post should have to make it go viral.
I find that there is a certain combination of traits a tweet needs to go viral:
1.
Immediate strong emotional reaction,2.
The ability for readers to add anecdotes and3.
Kayla even got some offers for new career opportunities, however absurd it may sound.
Im certainly not talented enough at Product Design for that.
Image credits:Willis Lam (not the actual photo)
Whats up with bacon?
Why isnt it in resealable packages?
Kayla and others certainly have some interesting and new ideas.
Yet manufacturers package the foods mentioned above in a certain way for a reason.
Even if it seems annoying and ineffective.
Lets start with bacon.
Although Kayla writes that bacon packages are now resealable, thats not the case for all brands.
We find consumers are typically cooking our bacon in one cook session, she said.
Meaning, there isnt really a current need for a resealable feature on our bacon packaging.
Other brand representatives say its only relevant to single-person households.
We have experimented with smaller packs with fewer slices.
They werent very popular, he explained.
Theres also the issue ofthe shelf life of bacon.
When packaged in a vacuum pack, the bacon can stay fresh for months.
Bacon in resealable bags would only last about a week.
According toSimply Recipes, its pioneer was a bakery owner from Kentucky, Lively B. Willoughby.
He was looking for a way to keep the dough of his ready-to-bake biscuits fresh for longer.
The tube packaging allows the biscuits to remain in shape.
They are perfectly shaped when taken out and are ready to bake once we pop the tube.
When it comes to flour, paper bags are the best choice because of their breathability.
Paper packaging is a breathable material that is ideal for flour packaging,Milling & Grainwrite.
An excessive amount of moisture can leave the flour, preventing possible mold problems.
Its also a lot cheaper for both the manufacturer and the consumer.
Most consumers wont pay more for better packaging for a staple like standard flour, according toGood Bad Marketing.
From the manufacturers end, its easier and cheaper to transport, stock and store.
Less air = lower price.
Lastly, the toilet paper problem.
Joseph Gayetty was the first to patent the invention and sold it in the form offlat sheets.
In 1879 The Scott Paper Company introduced the cylindrically shaped toilet paper.
Toilet paper sheets are an alternative that could become popular in the future.
It would cost less to transport because there would be no wasted space from the rolls core.
There are even benefits of rectangular toilet paper sheets in the production chain.
So why is it still produced in the shape of a cylinder?
The reason is the interleaving machines that produce the paper in sheets.
They havelow output and consume a lot of electricity.
In the end, manufacturers research and adjust the packaging of their products to consumers needs.
The packaging we know is most often that way because the majority of the buyers find it convenient.
