Now maybe this is a spot of research many of us could take part in or even reach a conclusion for ourselves.  Earlier this week Waitrose announced that it would stocking wines in plastic bottles especially to make it’s ‘festival going clientele happy’  This came hot on the heals of M&S who’d announced only a week ago that it would now be stocking wine in 25cl plastic bottles.  

Both of the stores claim that the wine looses none of its taste, or gains any taint from the plastic and is guaranteed to keep for at least 12 months.  Sounds great and will be ideal for the summer (if we ever get one) and alfresco dining, whether in the back garden or at a festival. BUT……………..

Also released this week is a report by researchers at the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISW) in Bordeaux, France.  They say they found that the alcohol starts to oxidise and that wine stored in plastic bottles and boxes loses its freshness within six months! 

That doesn’t bode well for the new plastic wine bottle trend.  Maybe we should all do a little bit of further research on this – of course I’m not encouraging anybody to drink, and if you do please drink responsibly, but if you are opening a bottle of wine tonight it would be interesting to hear your own views on plastic vs glass in the taste stakes. (Jane Bear)

You can find more details on the report here – Daily Mail

To read Waitrose’s claims just follow this link to our friends at Packaging News

Mr Singh's new branding logo

A  new mini series High Street Dreams (8 programmes) kicked off on BBC1 last night that is a ‘reality TV show’ about product branding, packaging & design development – and very entertaining it was too. Over the series Jo Malone and Nick Leslau will help a number of individuals as they try to launch new products. Last night’s ‘guinea pigs’ included:

Mr Singh’s Chilli sauce (www.mrsinghssauce.co.uk) and Asian Singh family of 7 from East London who have developed a unique “dynamite” chilli sauce over a number of years and now want to “take on the world”. Having already developed their own packaging they were ‘knocking out’ 1000 bottles a day in their garden shed. However, after undertaken some market research on local doorsteps they redefined their key brand messages and with the help Pearlfisher, undertook a complete brand overhaul. Anyhow, it must have been successful because the conclusion was a trial in 3 London Asda stores and their website now lists a number of other independent stockists.

New Muddy Boots brand logo

Meanwhile, Roland & Miranda Ballard, the couple behind the gourmet ‘Aberdeen Angus’ burger range Muddy Boots Foods, worked with Blue Marlin. Together they revamped their vacuum packed burger range, which when showed to shoppers in it’s existing packaging, was described as “looking like dog food”. Anyhow, after development of  bespoke ‘windowed’ carton to show-off a tantalising view of the top-quality prime cuts, they managed to secure a trial in a few Waitrose stores (although Waitrose weren’t totally convinced of the merits of the small window). So top marks to all concerned! A good insight for those of you not involved in teh industry, on how a brand and packaging can be redeveloped & invigorated. You can find out more about Muddy Boots foods at (www.muddybootsfoods.co.uk). Both companies also have Twitter accounts (@mrsinghssauce & @muddybootsfoods ) and they both have Facebook accounts.

Next week the High Street Dreams team will help two sets of partners market children’s products. If you want to watch last night’s programme again you can download it on i-player here: 10th May programme

Cheers Chris Penfold

So says Barry Pamplin, European packaging technology controller at United Biscuits – and of course he’s right.

United Biscuits have done a lot of work in the past few years to lower the amount of packaging material they use.  Pamplin says that whilst they have targeted using less material and lowering the micron of their films, they haven’t lost sight of the fact that the films are there for a purpose – to protect the product, and if they don’t do there job effectively then ‘any gains in packaging reduction or ease of recycling are destroyed by increased food waste’.

Their latest undertaking is to scale up the amount of recycled packaging material they use by moving their trays from PET to rPET.

It’s also interesting to hear Pamplin’s reasons for not signing up to the Courtauld Commitment 2.

The full article covers other areas that United Biscuits are looking at to cut their packaging and makes and interesting read.  Just follow this link nutraingredients.com

The French Food Standards Agency is calling for all packaging containing Bisphenol A to be labelled.  Will this encourage manufacturers to change their packaging, or will it just be another declaration that’s added to the pack?

I know some people feel very passionate about this issue, but what of the general public? (Jane Bear)

If you would like to read the full story just follow this link Food Production Daily

McCormick & Co have come up with the idea of selling single portions of spices attached to a recipe card.  Each card contains up to 6 different spices along with a quick and easy recipe to follow.  The idea being that people will be tempted to try new spices by using the samples and then go on to buy full packs of the spices they most use and like.

It has got me thinking though, what else could you use this concept for?  Obviously sample packs have been available for years across many sectors of the market, from foods to skincare and most areas in between.  This is more structured though, more like a ‘kit’ to encourage people to try new things.

What about using the same idea to create cocktails, or how about a card/pack encouraging people to try a new cleansing routine containing shampoo, body wash and a deo.  Or what about a card containing a sample of every shower gel variant in the range?

The combinations are endless, you just need to use your imagination. (Jane Bear)

Thanks to Packaging Insight for bringing this to our attention to watch their evaluation of the pack just follow this link Packaging Insight

And so this story rumbles on with another country banning the use of BPA in certain products.  If you’ve still got products that might be affected by a similar ban in another country then you really need to be looking to change very soon, after all, who knows who will be the next country to join the ban. (Jane Bear)

Denmark has introduced a temporary ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in all food contact materials for young children amid fears the chemical could inhibit brain development.

Thanks Beverage Daily for highlighting this ban, to see their full article just follow this link  – Beverage Daily

Packaging Top Ten Tips

In order to help you develop your packaging more productively, we have generated a series of  FREE short 1-2 minute videos detailing our Tip Ten Tips for getting it right. We have been posting 1 x video per day over the past 11 days on this blog site -and hope that you have found them useful – remember they could save you a £££$$$ fortune in the long run!

As an added benefit, we thought that it might be useful to collate all of the Top 1o packaging Tips into 1 x 10 minute video for you. So here it is………..

Have fun packaging.

Cheers Chris

Today’s video – ALL of the 10 Tips in 1 x video::

Packaging Top Tips – The whole Series of 10 tips in 1 x video v2 – by Chris Penfold – Design Cognition

We hoped that you’ve enjoyed watching them as much as we’ve enjoyed making them. We’re passionate about packaging, so watch out for more to follow in future…if you’ve got any ideas on what you’d like to see covered – drop us a line…

Packaging Top Ten Tips

In order to help you develop your packaging more productively, we have generated a series of  FREE short 1-2 minute videos detailing our Tip Ten Tips for getting it right. We will be posting 1 x video per day on this blog site over a 10 day period – so keep a look out for them – they could save you a £££$$$ fortune in the long run!

DAY 8 – Tip No8: I don’t need to tell you how important branding is on a pack, do I?. Get it wrong and you’ve got a ‘dead duck’ on your hands! But wording on packs performs many functions. There are many legal requirements & you must be able to substantiate any claim you make. Aesthetically the wording & graphics must work in harmony. Incorrect wording is the most common reason for product recalls, which can cost a producer many £000’s. Find out more on the video….

Have fun packaging. Cheers Chris

Today’s Video:

Packaging Tip No8 – Information & communication – by Chris Penfold – Design Cognition

Look out tomorrow for Tip No 9 – Cost minimisation…..

Packaging Top 10 Tips

In order to help you develop your packaging more productively, we have generated a series of  FREE short 1-2 minute videos detailing our Tip Ten Tips for getting it right. We will be posting 1 x video per day on this blog site over a 10 day period – so keep a look out for them – they could save you a £££$$$ fortune in the long run!

DAY 2 – Tip No2: What you want is packaging that is ‘fit for purpose’ don’t you? That performs all of the roles that it needs to, whilst conveying your brand values.  So where do you start? Click on the link below to go to the video to find out.

Happy Packaging. Cheers Chris

Today’s Video:

Packaging Tip No2 – Keeping it simple & fit for purpose – by Chris Penfold – Design Cognition

Look out Monday for Tip No 3 – market positioning & branding…..

Design Cognition are offering a limited number of FREE product and packaging advisory sessions.  Are you worried about the non-compliance of any of your products?  Do you know what regulations your products need to comply to? – Why not book yourself one of these limited sessions and come for a chat?

 If you are attending easyFairs Packaging Innovations show at the NEC (UK 24-25 Feb) then why not take advantage of this fantastic FREE offer?  To book one of the limited 15 minute sessions simply email packagingsurgery@designcognition.com

 Places are limited though, so if you aren’t quick enough to book one, why not visit us on STAND 582 – right by the main entrance – to leave us your details and arrange a follow-up chat after the show.

If you’ve not already registered for the show why not do it now by following this link and becoming a Design Cognition visitor.