Where’s my yogurt lid? If the yogurt case at Safeway is any indication, today’s yogurt companies prefer peel-back foil lids rather than the re-sealable plastic lids of old. (For contrarians, Noosa’s larger format, 8-ounce cup comes with a plastic lid and a resealable option. Said to be safe and more cost-effective, foil lids are becoming more commonplace as a single serve packaging option for yogurt.
Will Peel-Back Lead To Push Back?
Peel-back lids are a natural on single-serve, portion-sized yogurts, puddings and other spoonable snacks. In single-serve packaging, a resealable option can seem excessive. But for larger sizes, testing is essential before committing to a peel-back lid. A whopping 30% of the food packaging peeves and rants on TheKitchn mention protective film or peel-back lids, landing it at #4 on the list.
Larger formats may incentivize consumers to choose more efficient packaging. Food storage companies are making single-serve storage containers specifically for scooping bulk yogurt into reusable containers. Yogurt brands could seize the market opportunity by producing reusable, single-serve packaging. Eliminating the lid, however eco-friendly it seems, is a short-term fix. Instead, source packaging that’s built to last.
A Single-Serve Example That’s Good For Everyone
Built to last, old school glass bottles, jars and cups are stockpiled by customers when they are not recycled. Great. But there are food companies out there breaking new ground. Nona Lim’s new soup containers reinvent the single-serve snack package. Nona Lim, a broths and soup producer, spent over a year developing a microwaveable, dishwasher safe plastic “sippy cup” for grownups.
Any parent who has passed through the toddler years will recognize Nona Lim’s new soup package. Essentially a plastic cup sealed with a protective peel-back and a screw-on “sippy” lid, Nona Lim’s soup packages are single-handed and single-serve. Peel off the informational cardboard band and re-use the sippy cup for anything that is served in a cup – homemade soups, coffee, whatever. BPA-free, freezer grade, the benefits go on and on. It’s the opposite approach to packaging from a single use plastic yogurt cup – it’s something you buy to keep and reuse again and again. And the embossed brand name on the lid keeps Nona Lim in front of customers for as long as they use the cup. The revolution, my friends, will not be televised.
Remember the Branding Opportunity
Just as using food waste has become an imperative in food production, consumer packaged goods and food brands should consider re-purposing when planning packaging.Every time a consumer returns a brand’s packaging to circulation, the brand gets positive impressions. A few pennies spent on the packaging could pay off in ways only brand managers can imagine.
