Many consumers have unstructured lives with a high degree of mobility and spontaneity. For snacks on the go eco-friendly and practical solutions are required. Photo: EcoTensil

Spoon at the Ready

Practical Packaging Idea now Coming to Europe

More and more people are paying attention to their diet and prefer fresh, organically and/or regionally produced foods. At the same time, there is a growing trend towards handy out-of-home products, preferably sold in packaging that is recyclable or compostable. Especially in megacities people’s eating habits have radically changed over the past ten years – more and more meals are consumed out of the home. An increasing number of people skip breakfast and lunch; accordingly, sales of out-of-home packaging have increased.

Healthy snacks are a huge trend in big cities throughout the world - making practical packaging solutions that also respect the environment all the more important. Photo: EcoTensil.

Origami for Spoons

As versatile as packaging offers may be these days, there is often one thing missing with these in-between meals. Anyone who has packed a yoghurt for their child for the kindergarten or school will know what I am talking about: the spoon. So far the spoon always had to be enclosed separately. And every so often that spoon either did not fit the box or simply vanished somewhere in a school satchel to come back sticky at the end of the day, after being successfully used – together with sticky exercise books. Things are not much different for working people who take healthy muesli or porridge to work to eat on their way between the office and meetings and who find they are missing a spoon. The consequence: a rumbling stomach with bad performance when they meet their clients.

For the office, nursery, school, in the car or during sport – just unfold and dig in. Photo: Not Even

For the office, nursery, school, in the car or during sport – just unfold and dig in. Though the EcoSpoon is also a practical aid for tasting sessions at trade fairs or cooking events. Photo: Not Even a Crumb

5,000 instead of 1,000

This cannot go on, said Californian packaging manufacturers at the firm EcoTensil who have now developed a spoon that simply cannot go astray. This is because it is integrated into the packaging. The so-called EcoSpoon consists of card which thanks to a special coating boasts that pleasant feel on the tongue found with coffee-to-go cups or ice cream tubs, not tasting like cardboard at all. The spoon is folded into the lid of your ice cream, muesli, yoghurt or frozen yoghurt, salad, dip or pesto and can be disposed of ecologically after use. Due to the material used it is lighter than the familiar plastic spoon and takes up less space in transportation. 5,000 EcoSpoons occupy the space of about 1,000 of their conventional plastic counterparts. Independent of production costs, this brings a huge price advantage in the supply chain.

The yoghurt with the spoon in the lid comes from America and is now set to conquer the European market. Photo: pacproject

And now this multiple award-winning packaging is on its way to Europe. We have Hamburg agency for packaging design, consulting and strategy pacproject to thank for this. These practical little helpers have not reached the shelves of our supermarkets yet. It remains to be seen how fast the promising to-go product will catch on here on the European market.