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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Packaging and labels

The changes of container size doesn't bother me as long as the content's size is clearly labeled, but there are plenty of practices that can be described as fast & loose.  One practice is to not fully fill the container, leaving a lot of empty space.  Some woman recently initiated a class action suit against Nestle for that very reason because a box of Raisinets was little more than half filled; she was expecting a full box, but that might be another fake news story.

Another practice is to subtly change the shape of the container.  Round jars and bottles are often more of an oval shape; they look the same size on the grocer's shelf but actually hold significantly less product.

I wasn't aware of the changes in ice cream packaging; I stick to Ben & Jerry's, which is still a full pint.  But ice cream is sold by volume, not weight, and I suspect that extra air can be added to make the ice cream appear to fill a larger container under the guise of making it "smoother and creamier".  I should buy a few pints from different manufacturers and compare the weight of the full vs. empty containers.

I've weighed containers before and have been disappointed because of term "net weight."  One of my favorite victuals, pickled herring, seems to be available only in the smaller 12 oz. size.  But the liquid in the jar is a significant part of that net weight so I'm not getting anything near 12 oz. of herring.  And the label says the jar has six servings.  Six?  Who are they kidding?  I'm lucky to get two.

Serving size is another trick that is used to dupe the consumer when they check the label.  Calories, sodium, sugar, fat, and protein may all seem reasonable until you see that the package has many more servings than you expect.  I've seen it with those square blocks of ramen noodles with the mysterious flavor packets; they serve two but it looks like one portion to me.  How can a fella expect a full meal with such dainty portions?

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Sorry to hear about the viper in your nest Uncle Ken, but I tried to warn you.  I hinted at a few misgivings in the email I sent, particularly with the data limits.  You may also find customer service a less than pleasurable experience; if you weren't so dead set against following links I would have sent them.  Well, live and learn, and I hope it becomes an enjoyable venture.

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Winter must be the Christian "season."  Here it is, less than a fortnight after Christmas and talk turns to Easter.  I've forgotten my sources, but I think Mark was the first written Gospel and the others may have been heavily influenced by it.  Authorship of the Gospels is in question since they were all written decades after the fact.  You would think that if all that was happening at the time was such a big deal they would have taken notes or written something down, but no.

I had a Bible once that had everything Jesus said printed in red, really made his words stand out.  But I know I couldn't reliably quote anything I heard thirty or forty years ago, so I wonder what he really said.  Maybe something like, "Slow down on the wine, Peter, we're out of water."

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