of the major ways that manufacturers can add
value to their products.
Here’s an innovative approach from a
Japanese company: beer packaged in a plastic
can--one with a label which is perforated and
can be neatly removed. So the cap comes
off, label comes off and a neat can becomes a
handy glass of beer. A little device in the
bottom of the can provides a bit of agitation
to develop the bubbles. And no dirty glass to
wash.
Many food manufacturers are working on
this "task assistance" area to take advantage
of the microwave. As we all know, this ap-
pliance has created a revolution in the kit-
chen. Surveys indicate that today perhaps as
many as 50 percent of U.S. households have a
microwave oven—and as many as two-thirds
of Americans are doing some microwave cook-
ing. A recent study forecasts that these num-
bers will reach 80 to 95 percent by 1991.
Microwave ovens have been around for a few
years, but it is only recently that we’ve seen
the rapid introduction of innovative packages
to take advantage of them. For example, the
microwave has given a new lease on life to
popcorn: a messy, time-consuming project
under old methods, and a quick, easy, snack
food with a microwave.
More and more manufacturers are offering
their frozen foods in dual Ovenable packages
and containers. Others are formulating their
foods strictly for microwave oven cooking,
targeting their brand toward the busy con-
sumer. Here we find many efforts to make
these packages more convenient. For example,
one-way packages go directly from the super-
market, to your freezer, to your microwave
oven, to your table, adding a tremendous
amount of convenience and value from the
consumer’s point of view.
Here’s a household product with a new
package designed to be a real help: oven
cleaner in a scouring pad. Cleaning ovens,
for those of us who don’t have self-clean or
microwaves, is one of the messiest jobs in
the kitchen. In a shrinking market—as many
cleaning products are--it is critical to continue
the innovation to preserve market share.
Here was an innovative way: a package that
not only contains the oven cleaner, but dis-
penses it, and helps you spread it. Use this
and the task goes more quickly, neatly and
with less fuss and bother.
King-Casey developed one of these "con-
venient helper" packages for Wagner Spray
Tech, a company in the do-it-yourself business.
These products, called "Added Touches," one
for spackle to repair your wall, one for paint,
and one for wood filler, are based on the
pump technology (similar to the toothpaste
pump).
To develop this innovation, we looked
carefully at the task that the consumer was
involved in and how we could help make the
whole process easier. For example, repairing
a plaster wall for repainting requires a can of
spackle, a screwdriver to open the can, a
putty knife to spread the spackle, and a little
piece of sandpaper to smooth the spackle
when it is dry. Then you’re ready for paint-
ing. By looking at the whole task as the
problem rather than at just a new container
for spackle, we were able to incorporate all
these tools into one, convenient, value-added
package. The pump dispenses the spackle
through the tip, and the specially designed
head, shaped like a spatula, is used to spread
the spackle around. When it’s dry, just turn
over the package for the sandpaper located
on the bottom. All those tools are combined
in one neat package; put the top on and the
package back on the shelf until the next use.
Conclusion
Although packaging has made tremendous
strides over the years, it still remains as one
of the main avenues for increased added value
in the food distribution industry. These
efforts pay off for the industry as well as for
the consumer; we know consumers will often
pay as much for these packages as they pay
for the product itself!
However, as we think about these oppor-
tunities and consider the new technologies we
have at our disposal, we need to keep old
Frank and Ernest, the consumers, clearly in
our minds. While we in the industry may
February 88/page 10
Journal of Food Distribution Research