Food packaging

epicuric

epicuric

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Shropshire, UK
What is it with food packaging these days? I don't use much packet stuff, but when I do the process of opening it leaves me incensed. Back in the good old days, you could lightly tug at the seam at the top of the packet and it would come apart quietly and politely, leaving you to enjoy the contents and reseal the packet for later use. These days the seams totally refuse to be parted, and if you tug even harder you end up with a huge unstoppable tear down the side of the packet, and rice, shredded wheat, sugar, dried fruit, whatever, all over the floor and a packet you can't reseal. And the seam remains intact. It may be fit for purpose for manufacturers or retailers, but it's not fit for purpose for the end user.
 
Pretty much I agree BUT I suspect that in some ways it has been brought about by consumers [ like sell by and use by dates ] The slightest popped seal and the product will either be ignored or seized upon by one of the career complainers who exist only to try for compensation claims when the product was 'tainted'. We reap as we sow.
 
sidevalve said:
Pretty much I agree BUT I suspect that in some ways it has been brought about by consumers [ like sell by and use by dates ] The slightest popped seal and the product will either be ignored or seized upon by one of the career complainers who exist only to try for compensation claims when the product was 'tainted'. We reap as we sow.
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Or people will just open in the stores for fun or theivery.
 
sidevalve said:
Pretty much I agree BUT I suspect that in some ways it has been brought about by consumers [ like sell by and use by dates ] The slightest popped seal and the product will either be ignored or seized upon by one of the career complainers who exist only to try for compensation claims when the product was 'tainted'. We reap as we sow.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about that. I suspect it may be more to do with cost saving on packaging material combined with technological advances in packaging machines.
 
Maybe the newer packaging degrades faster, but requires stronger methods be used to make the initial seal.
 
epicuric said:
What is it with food packaging these days? I don't use much packet stuff, but when I do the process of opening it leaves me incensed. Back in the good old days, you could lightly tug at the seam at the top of the packet and it would come apart quietly and politely, leaving you to enjoy the contents and reseal the packet for later use. These days the seams totally refuse to be parted, and if you tug even harder you end up with a huge unstoppable tear down the side of the packet, and rice, shredded wheat, sugar, dried fruit, whatever, all over the floor and a packet you can't reseal. And the seam remains intact. It may be fit for purpose for manufacturers or retailers, but it's not fit for purpose for the end user.
Click to expand...

So it isn't just me then, hurrah.
 
I do agree about silly packaging which tears. There are also those packages which are supposed to self seal using a bit of sticky tape which you peel up and re-seal - they never work for me!

But, you know, what I hate most is the sheer amount of packaging and the sometimes serious artwork which goes into it which is simply thrown away. As a small example - I quite like fruit teas. Here is the lovely package of them I bought yesterday:

Photo on 19-05-2017 at 01.06 #2.jpg

The thing is - its rather beautiful (IMHO). Its a nice piece of design. But I'm going to throw it in the bin when its empty.
 
morning glory said:
But I'm going to throw it in the bin when its empty.
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Its cardboard and paper... why not recycle it? It can at last become toilet paper for someone that way (or corrugated cardboard for more packaging).
Personally I burn mine because of a lack of newspapers to light a fire with. I use tissues, packaging and well anything paper like that burns and leaves no residue behind (but that is because its my only heating and I have to store and then take everything to the tip to get rid of any rubbish that is not compostable because I have no bin collection.
 
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