I think everyone and their grandmother is talking about food processing. Ok, maybe not everybody, but with food processing comes something very important: *Packaging*.
Whenever I see a product, I make it a point to observe the packaging, specifically its durability. I mostly make my assessment based on a touch. Feeling like Dexter (the cartoon character not the other #$%^) a few days ago, I grabbed a 1kg bag of rice from our 2015 Christmas hamper basket and dropped it on our carpet (btw, I did not slam it or throw it). Anyways, the experiment did not go as planned. See picture below:
There was a rice explosion as you can see (ok maybe not that dramatic) but I figured that if I had dropped it in the middle of a grocery store/supermarket, the same scenario would have played out.
So what’s the point of the post then? First and foremost, when making a product, it is very possible to be so fixated on the product itself and the design on the packaging that maybe a little less attention is paid to the durability of the packaging, and/or the many different ways people (at home and abroad) might handle the product once it has left the factory.
What should I do, you might ask? Amongst other things, it is very important to do a durability test like what car manufacturers do. They test their cars under different conditions and they also do a durability test. What this means for a person who is manufacturing products like 1kg rice packs is that you do a rice drop test with variations such as its distance to the ground, the type of surface it lands on (e.g. rug, concrete, wood) and so on. Also, heavier objects or products like ‘yam tuber’ can be placed on the product, to see its impact on the packaged product. Checking if a waterproof packaging is actually waterproof, by submerging the product under water is also a good idea.
Some organizations actually have *quality control managers* that ensure that only quality and durable products go into the market.
If after all the testing you see that your packaging failed the durability test, you have two options:
1. Use another type of packaging: This might be more expensive, but you can research possible packaging alternatives that will give the desired results/pass all your quality checklists.
2. This is the cheapest option: do as the airlines do, stick a #$%^ FRAGILE sign on the package.
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Her Life Mantra(s): "Whether you do it brave or scared, just do it" "Find a Way"
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