As the Chocolate Swirls: The ugly truth behind gift food packaging
When thinking about what to call this post, Maureen's Pet Peeves came to mind. But, nobody has enough time for that. So, I figured I should break it down into smaller blog entries. Since it's Valentine's Day next week, one of my favorite pet peeves, deceptive packaging, is quite timely.
What is "deceptive packaging"? Deceptive packaging is something that just got 2 of the biggest US chocolate manufacturers in a lot of trouble. Trouble to the tune of $750,000 in fines for the practice. There's no need to name names because it's a trend, not limited to the candy industry. Deceptive packaging is packaging that gives a false illusion of the amount of product on the inside. This specific situation relates to holiday chocolate boxes that are huge in respect to the content inside. Now, all of us in the industry use the same size Valentine's boxes. The difference is the major producers can have inserts made to hold as few pieces of candy as possible. So the boxes I can fit 18-24 pieces, some of the major producers were putting in 5 -7 pieces. People see BIG and assume it's chock full of chocolates, when, in reality, the boxes from the big manufacturers are actually pretty empty.
So, how can you make sure you get the size gift you need. Well, the first thing I would tell you is go to a local company and pick out your own, freshly made assortment. I know, I know, it's expensive, right? NO, NO, IT's NOT!!! Most candy companies have reduced their average bar sizes to 1.3 ounces, down from 1.6 ounces. Most bars are a minimum of $1.39 each which gives you a per pound price of $17.10 That's for a run of the mill chocolate bar or those candy coated chocolate candies that all kids love. Stop in and you will see our basic products are competitive with that price and much fresher.
The next option is actually checking the weight on the box. The boxes that, in the past, contained one pound of chocolates, now contain 8-12 ounces. But, don't just stop at the candy, go to the warehouse stores and check the product weight on those giant gift baskets. Sure the prices sound great, but your money goes to packaging and air as most of the packages have one or two pieces of food and that's about it. Check out the basket, rotate it. Notice the form and structure inside. That structure is produced according to specs, to make the basket look bigger and fuller than it is. My $100 basket will look much smaller than theirs, but it will be packed with so much more product and product that is far superior to the products in theirs.
Read the labels. Check the product weights. feel how light the boxes are. DON'T PAY FOR AIR! Your best bet: Support your hometown chocolate shop. Not only will the chocolate be better, you'll get exactly what you want and for pretty much the same price! As a side note, check the manufactured date and expiration dates on the product. Remember, they are on sale for a reason.
I detest reducing product weight to hide a price increase. Think about how you felt when you realized your favorite ice cream wasn't a half gallon anymore. Sure those new packages looked cute and kept the ice cream fresher, but they were designed in a way to hide the loss of a pint of ice cream. What would you say if I left a row empty in the chocolate box and said it's our new size, yet the price was the same? I know you wouldn't shop at my store anymore. But, somehow, we allow the big boys to get away with it and it's wrong. It's about time these deceptive practices were called out and punished. It's about time we fight back!
Do you think $750,000 will deter them? I highly doubt it. But, you can let them know it's not ok. Take your gifting money someplace else. Someplace with great customer service that appreciates you enough to be honest with you. Please, support your local businesses.
Here's my challenge. Order a gift basket from a warehouse store or online retailer or grab a box of chocolates. Open up all the little boxes and dump all the contents in a bowl. See how much you get for your money.
In conclusion, it's not the initial impression that matters when you give a gift, it's the lasting impression. 1/2 full or full? The choice is yours.
Better yet, take a chocolate tour and indulge for a day or weekend. You never know what you will find, but I assure you, deliciousness awaits you!
Thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying my blog.