Tricky packaging

The packaging sector is a hive of development activity. Sustainable materials, stylish designs and efficient concepts are gradually changing how our food is packaged. These are all good advancements, but a look around any typical supermarket will reveal one shortcoming that is seemingly being ignored: a lot of packaging is tricky to open, especially for the elderly.

Conserve manufacturer HAK showed that it doesn’t have to be this way when it introduced ‘1-2 open’ lids on its jars four years ago. But even though this development won HAK one of the most prestigious retail awards, very few food processing companies have followed its example over recent years by improving equally difficult-to-open packaging. And I’m not just talking about jars.

One particular challenge is sealed plastic packaging. Whereas a significant number of manufacturers leave consumers with no other option than to attack the pack with a knife, others provide a ‘tab’ to help you pull back the seal – but unfortunately that tab often either comes off in your hand or is too small to grab hold of, forcing you to resort to a knife after all. By the way, the same thing occurs with plastic sachets with perforated tears.

In view of the greying population, I think that the development and actual introduction of easier-to-open packaging can’t go fast enough. To be honest, I’m a big fan of user convenience – and I’m not even grey yet!

Dennis Favier is a professional Food Designer and Creative Director at innovation company TOP BV and translates technological innovations into interesting applications.