Industry Trends: Tamper-Evident Packaging

Since the pandemic began last March, the health and safety of goods became more of a priority for many consumers, retailers and manufacturers to minimize the spread of COVID-19. This increase in awareness around goods remaining safe while being transported, coupled with the increase in delivery and e-commerce throughout the country, has led many manufacturers to redevelop their packaged products to include tamper-evident packaging.

What is tamper-evident packaging? According to Industrial Packaging, tamper-evident packaging is when a packaged product alerts a consumer that an item has been tampered with in some manner by leaving behind specific evidence. A couple of common examples are when the lid of a glass jar doesn’t make that audible, recognizable ‘pop’ sound when opened or when the foil seal on a bottle of pills shows signs of damage or is already cracked. This evidence informs consumers that the tampered product is no longer safe – an aspect that is crucial in ensuring the health and safety of consumers purchasing packaged foods.

The benefits of tamper-evident packaging give manufacturers and brands a competitive edge in the market. Should a company choose not to use tamper-proof materials or create tamper-evident products, they run the risk of having to recall large quantities of product, which is extremely costly and slows down the entire production of a product. Even worse, if there is a contaminated food outbreak, everyone in the supply chain could be exposed to lawsuits.

On the other hand, many manufacturers have chosen to shy away from tamper-evident packaging because it makes opening packages more of a hassle. Other than the safety of packages, convenience is a top priority for shoppers when buying products. The challenge of opening packaged goods has been compounded during the pandemic as lockdowns and social distancing regulations have isolated consumers who need assistance in opening packages.

Fortunately, manufacturers have entered 2021 with the goal of producing packaged goods that are both tamper-evident and convenient to open. And this is a topic we’ve touched on before, and you can read more about the trend of convenient and ease-of-opening packaging in our blog post here. Progressive Grocer recently explored the topic, too, looking at brands who have entered the new year with safety and convenience in mind.

The article describes Tetra Pak’s – a multinational food packaging and processing company – recently unveiled a tamper-evident wing cap, allowing products to be opened and resealed without a plastic tab. Many brands and packaging manufacturers are following Tetra Pak’s path for 2021 in creating convenient tamper-resistant packaging, specifically starting with the re-design of the lids on their containers.

We are proud, once again, to be ahead of the curve in the packaging world. At CCT, our EEASY Lid acts as both an easy-to-use and tamper-resistant cap for jarred foods. The design of our EEASY Lid enables consumers to simply lightly push a button to release the vacuum seal from the container, making the closure a snap to remove.

After releasing the vacuum seal, a consumer then can reset the button by simply pressing on the bottom/product side of the button for storage of any remaining product. The push-button is adaptable to current closure designs for capping containers with a vacuum seal. The EEASY Lid’s convenience in opening combined with its ability to reset the seal makes it a desirable packaged product on the market.

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