Sushi Shop

Pam sent me the suggestion of Sushi Shop, a chain of "fast" sushi restaurants by Tiki Ming in Montreal. I used to go here all the time while I was at McGill, namely because their rolls were incredibly delicious. However, the amount of packaging in their take out packages left a bit to be desired. On top of the plastic container with the sushi, they gave plenty of napkins, chopsticks, and an incredibly thick semi-transparent plastic bag that was really nice, but perhaps a bit too nice for sushi takeout. I never reused the bag again, firstly because it was not the right size for lining the trash can. Secondly, it was a nice bag, but the thought of giving someone a bag that once contained raw fish in it seemed a bit unappealing (even though the raw fish was well protected).

My assumed rationale behind this packaging: I suspect that they made the packaging nice to signify an upscale image as well as to make sure your sushi was as nice as it was when you picked it up at the shop.
Alternative considerations: Try to reduce the amount of packaging used for a simple meal of sushi. To paraphrase Pam, sushi usually gives off a feeling of being natural and healthy, but the amount of plastic used in this take out makes it almost counter-intuitive.

If you agree, write to Sushi Shop here and let them know your concerns.

Nissin Cup Noodles

Cup Noodles by Nissin are fantastic and ubiquitous. They've sustained me through many a late night studying, or many a backpacking trip with a lack of funds. They're convenient, affordable, and taste fantastic when you have that hunger pang that just needs to be satiated.

But wait! Why is there so much packaging on it? And why are they still using styrofoam?

My assumed rationale behind this packaging: Styrofoam keeps the heat in, and it is less expensive to have one universal styrofoam cup for the myriad flavours available instead of separate printed ones. The cardboard sleeve keeps it safe from damage while shipping and looks neater at shelf.
Alternative considerations: Styrofoam takes eons to biodegrade compared to cardboard. Package it without the styrofoam and instead, try packing it like the Souper Meal, which does not have the unnecessary cardboard sleeve.



Contact:
Nissin Foods (USA) Co., Inc.
2001 W. Rosecrans Avenue
Gardena, CA 90249
Attention: Consumer Affairs
Call 323-321-6453 and ask for Consumer Affairs, Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm PST.

or email them here.

Similarly, the head office of Nissin Foods is in Osaka:

Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd.
1-1, 4-chome, Nishinakajima,
Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
532-8524, Japan

Tel: 81-6-6305-7711

Sandisk Memory Products

In the digital age, we have tons of new gadgets - cameras, cell phones, mp3 players, you name it. As you've noticed, digital music and photos take up a honking large amount of memory! Thankfully, Sandisk swooped in to provide a lot of high quality flash drive and memory products. I've used their products for my music sampler as well as my digital camera. However, picking up their products in stores, I have been dismayed to find that their products are packaged in a plastic clamshell box about 20 times the size of the actual product.

My assumed rationale behind all this plastic: theft prevention, larger "face" to merchandise with

Alternative considerations: Retailers could consider putting an anti- theft device on the product instead of compensating by package size.

SanDisk can be contacted using one of these methods. Let them know what you think about their excessive packaging.