Is your potato chip bag half empty or half full?

If  you’ve ever wondered why your potato chip bag is always half full (or  is it half empty?) don’t worry, you are not getting short-changed. Here is the reason: Potatoes will go rancid if air gets into the bag, so they  fill the bag full of nitrogen. This process keeps the product integrity  and helps it stay intact during shipping.

All  packaging serves this purpose, so that it gets to the end user in the  proper condition – from shipping conditions to shelf life. I learned more about this on a tour of Ametek Mocon (pre-pandemic). Ametek specializes in package testing for the food & beverage, medical device, pharmaceutical and flexible electronics industries. They ensure that whatever is inside the package will  maintain its integrity. This is important in all industries, but  especially the food packaging market.

According  to Dr. Keith Vorst, Director for the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium at Iowa State University, pre-made food packaging is not going away any time soon and it is a big market that many retailers are getting into. This is why it’s more important than ever to work with a designer like me, so that we can work with package testing specialists like Ametek from the start. By doing the necessary research and testing, you will have all the information you need to come up with a solution that is attainable with current technologies. As a designer who’s also  interested in sustainability and recycling, I also keep the “end of  life” packaging cycle top of mind. You can read more on that topic in my Should you recycle a bowling ball? article on LinkedIn.

If you have a product that needs specialized packaging and want to make sure you have all the bases covered before you start the design, book a call on my contact page to discuss your project and how we can work together.