Convenient tuna snacks

Convenience usually means delivering a product to a consumer in the least amount of time in the cleanest and freshest way possible. However, what this usually translates into is a whole lot of packaging waste. While in the past, so-called convenient food involved only "unhealthy" snacks like chips and milk chocolate, lately they've included a host of healthy options, such as these portable protein tuna snacks: Clover Leaf Tuna Salad (Canada), Oceans Snackits (Canada) and Starkist Lunch to Go (US). While it can be applauded that these products are offering a healthier option versus many of their convenience counterparts, most of these tuna snack products are entombed in plastic unnecessarily.

What is included in the tuna kit? On the outside is a clamshell type plastic container, a small tin can of tuna, crackers wrapped in cellophane, a spreading stick (wrapped in plastic), as well as an optional napkin.







My assumed rationale behind the amount of packaging: To keep all the components fresh - crackers should be crisp, tuna should be fresh. Crackers shouldn't be crushed. The front panel should also allow for merchandising. Everything inside should allow for convenience and should be low on cost.

Alternative considerations: Because of the small size of the serving, it is unlikely that tuna snacks would require a resealable package. (Where would one store the tuna and crackers, if they were not finished? You'd need separate containers) Therefore, the large plastic container that is resealable is unnecessary. I like the Clover Leaf package, that is a plastic tray with a cardboard top, which would biodegrade faster and creates much less plastic waste. The cardboard top also serves as the merchandising surface, while in the Oceans Snackit and Gold Seal Tuna Snacks there is a separate piece of cardboard inside the plastic container that acts as the merchandising surface. Keep in mind also, that in "convenience" situations, there aren't a lot of facilities for recycling products, so I believe the Clover Leaf package is superior. Lastly - is it necessary to cover the spreading stick in plastic?


What can you do? Leave some comments. Or, write to some of the manufacturers whose tuna kits are unnecessarily packaged:

Ocean Fisheries Ltd.
Sales and Marketing Division
13140 Rice Mill Road
Richmond BC, Canada
V6W 1A1
Phone: 604-272-2552
Fax 604-272-5933
Email: talktous@oceanfish.com


Gold Seal Head Office
Foot of Gore Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6A 2Y7
Canada
Phone: 604.681.0211
Email: feedback@goldseal.ca

Starkist tuna in the US can be contacted here.