Dive Brief:
- A new jar lid that can be opened with the push of a button rather than a twist, making vacuum-sealed jars 40% easier to open, was unveiled Tuesday by Consumer Convenience Technologies. Another push of the button reseals the jar. The company is calling this the Eeasy Lid and says this is the first major jar innovation in 75 years.
- The technology will be on store shelves in January, starting with Darci’s pasta sauce at all locations of Pennsylvania-based Boyer’s Food Markets. CCT has partnered with private label broker Daymon Worldwide to get its jar on shelves, and is currently focusing on the pasta category, according to an email CCT President Brandon Bach sent to Food Dive.
- This jar opening technology took eight years to develop and will be available in lid sizes of 58 millimeters to 110 millimeters.
Dive Insight:
Seventy-five years ago, the United States was in World War II. It was also the last time that jar lids experienced a major innovation in seals. With so many years since the last update, the button-sealing method that will hit shelves next year is a quantum leap from what consumers are used to.
Exchanging a twist lid for a resealable button is an ideal innovation. CCT President Brandon Bach told Food Dive in an email a third of the population can’t open a standard jar. Additionally, 14% of people have some sort of impairment.
According to a press release sent to Food Dive, Pete Stodd, managing partner at CCT first began experimenting with this technology when he was approached by a friend who was unable to open a jar due to health issues.
There is little doubt that other brands will be interested in this technology. Brands like Yoplait or College Inn, which are looking to upgrade the quality and perception of products by using glass jars for packaging, could be among the first adopters. Yoplait, which makes Oui yogurt, does so in glass pots covered by foil tops. Although easy to open, that closure prevents consumers from resealing the products, limiting the sizes that Yoplait can sell to single-serve.
Other manufacturers would benefit from using this technology as it would allow for expansion to a wider market of those who either cannot or do not like to struggle with opening jars. Not only will the Eeasy Lid use button technology, but it will also use the world’s first aluminum lug, which testing showed to create a 58% reduction in the amount of torque needed to open a jar.
While there hasn't been much new in the way of jars in the last several generations, it is not fair to say packaging technology has been completely stagnant. Plastic packaging, which has been developed and improved in the last several decades, has presented easy-open options for decades and has become by far the most popular packaging worldwide. It is also the most polluting. Only 9% of all plastic discarded since 1950 has been recycled, according to a new study by the Center for International Environmental Law. This translates to 29.7% of total U.S. waste being attributed to containers and packaging in 2015, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Although glass packaging is reusable today, it is not always thought of as a way to keep ingredients super fresh. The new Eeasy Lid's sealing technology will promote increased freshness with its hermetic seal. This could potentially change this perspective and turn glass into a more popular packaging option. According to a press release from CCT, the new button technology helps keep foods fresher for longer, which could prompt consumers to reuse these containers at home to store leftovers or bulk items from the supermarket.
— Lillianna Byington contributed to this report.