moss: February 2010

2/5/10

Kraft leads 2010 with a loss

Here's some news I like better than Heinz's new ketchup packaging. Kraft foods put itself on a packaging diet, and has lost 150 million pounds since 2005.

NORTHFIELD, IL (January 27, 2010) – A few years ago, Kraft Foods decided to lose a lot of weight. And today, it’s starting the new year 150 million pounds (68 million kilograms) leaner – having eliminated enough material from its supply chain since 2005 to exceed the company’s packaging reduction goal two years ahead of schedule!

This is great, since Kraft Foods is the world’s second largest food company (by revenue).

2/4/10

Heinz Announces New Ketchup Packet (Start the Revolution Without Me)

Heinz announced changes to their ketchup packets with what they call a "Revolutionary Product and Packaging Innovation."

A true packaging breakthrough, the Heinz Dip & Squeeze dual-function package gives ketchup lovers two ways to enjoy Heinz Ketchup: either peel back the lid for easy dipping, or tear off the tip to squeeze onto favorite foods. The new package holds three times as much Heinz Ketchup as the traditional packet.

A different article cites the team's challenges in developing this new packet:

Heinz has long struggled to find a design that lets diners dip or squeeze ketchup that could also be sold at a price acceptable to its restaurant customers. For this effort, it bought its design team a used minivan two years ago to test if their ideas really worked while eating on the road.

Ok, I admit I don't have any nostalgia for the old ketchup packet. I remember my dad had a glove box full of McDonald's ketchup packets, along with a smattering of pepper & salt packages (ok, he probably still does. They were never thrown out). And maybe some of my youth was wasted smashing, squirting, or accidentally stepping on the packets. For sure, in the rare times I use individually packaged ketchup I usually use 3 of them, so making the packet server larger sort of makes sense.

But is this really a revolution? No, more like a minor skirmish. A bigger revolution would be a way to stop creating all this packaging. Or, the biggest challenge of all: to explain the difference between "ketchup" and "catsup".