Open and Shut: Accessing Package Contents

Containment of foods and beverages within packages for purposes of protection through distribution is a commendable primary objective. But if the consumer cannot retrieve the contents when and where needed or desired, protection becomes a moot issue.

For the first millennia of food packaging, packaging was either so flimsy and fragile that opening was a trivial act, or was so strong that the contents were not accessible without the work of several powerful individuals aided by major tools. Some o…