Archive for June 21, 2008

In Search Of The Unbroken Cracker

by John Weckerle 

Not long ago, we received a link to this story about Wal-Mart’s crusade to cut costs of food, including pressuring manufacturers to reduce package size.  Here’s another one I’d like to see them tackle: reducing the amount of broken crackers, chips and other products that represent a potentially substantial waste of food and money.

To illustrate,  we purchased a box of Triscuits at the Edgewood Wal-Mart, brought them back, and opened them up.  Crackers were removed by gently inserting the hand into the free space in the box and carefully tipping crackers into the hand to avoid accidental breakage.  They were sorted into two piles – broken and unbroken – and the broken pile was weighed using a common kitchen scale.  »» In Search Of The Unbroken Cracker