Wasted space
Last reviewed: January 2010
Where’s the wheat?
A Post customer-relations representative said that the company can’t overfill because cereal can get caught near the top of
the bag, resulting in an improper seal. Post also allows for settling, which varies with size, shape, and sugar content.
More rice, please
Uncle Ben's Whole Grain rice
"Rice needs to breathe," said a customer rep for Mars Food US. She noted that holes in the bag help with respiration. That's
fine, we answered, but the bags we bought weren't very holey. In any case, the plastic pouch could accommodate far more grains.
"I'll forward your comments to our quality-care team," she said.
An extra wall
Why the cardboard partition and extra space? According to a customer rep for Ocean’s maker, Fleming Pharmaceuticals, the company
uses the same box for its periodic buy-one-get-one-free promotions, which include a second, smaller bottle. If the company
used different-sized boxes, she said, it could create problems in stores, where shelf space is planned and paid for based
on a standard package size.
Room to swim
"Even after being processed, breaded, and frozen, these fortunate fish continue to enjoy the feeling of the open ocean," quipped
Jim Demers of New York City, who flagged the fillets in the oversized box. In a written response, manufacturer Pinnacle Foods
declined to provide an explanation, but a customer rep said the extra space helps maintain "product integrity."
Peek at these pills
The plastic 50-tablet bottle looks about 40 percent empty. One customer rep said that maker Bayer HealthCare sometimes gives
customers 10 or 15 free tablets. Another cited a need to fit "a lot of information" on the bottle.
Not using their noodle
A customer rep from maker Golden Grain said that the company uses the same-sized box for all of its Pasta Roni products to
help keep costs down. He also pointed out that the width of the box matches the length of the vermicelli, cradling the noodles
and minimizing breakage. That still leaves us wondering why the noodles aren’t stacked higher.
More like Rhode Island
Pepperidge Farm Texas Toast
"I guess not everything in Texas is big," observed Kristin Dorn of Abrams, Wis., who was surprised that this frozen toast
was about two-thirds bread and one-third box. A customer rep for the company speculated that the extra space might have to
do with "shock absorption and air circulation." She also mentioned that the product will soon be sold in a reclosable stay-fresh
package and said that she presumed the new package would be more efficient.
Too few bars?
"We like the Oatmeal to Go product," said Donald Bauer of Southgate, Ky., but he wished that Quaker Oats would adjust either
the price or the packaging. Stripped of their plastic wrappers and stacked, the six 2.1-ounce bars leave about half the box
empty. One Quaker Oats customer rep called the extra space "crush room" and said that the bags fit loosely to add cushioning
and make tearing easier. Another rep told us that the microwavable bags need room for ventilation.
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