Dean Foods' New Packaging Makes Its American Debut

By Alec Italiano, contributing writer

After initial success in Europe, new eco-friendly sour cream and cottage cheese tubs hit the American Midwest

After a successful launch in Europe, Dean Foods’ newly designed containers for cottage cheese and sour cream hit retailers’ shelves across the American Midwest. The newly designed tubs are stackable and feature curved edges that save space on the shelf and in the refrigerator.

The curved edges may seem like a minor adjustment, but they play a big role in the functionality of the packaging. First, as previously mentioned, the curved edges make the containers more stackable. The fact that the product can be stacked in the fridge was noted by consumers as a positive benefit. Second, but equally important, the curved bottoms of the cottage cheese and sour cream containers allow consumers to scoop every last bit of product from the packaging. This feature has been well received by the public, as focus groups say that the new packaging allows easy and convenient access to the product at the bottom of the packaging, regardless of utensil — spoons, vegetables, or chips — being used for scooping.

Not only does this innovation provide convenience for consumers, it also makes the container more eco-friendly, as residual food waste is a major problem for recyclers.  The increased stack-ability improves sustainability as it is now easier to ship the completely recyclable product line. And according to managers at Dean Foods, the move to a new packaging design was one done with sustainability and the environment in mind.

As far as retail benefits are concerned, one major advantage to this new design is the fact that tubs will always have the primary display panel facing the consumer in the store.  This was a problem with the older, round-style containers that often got spun on the shelves by consumers looking at the label or sloppy shelf stockers. Look for these newly designed containers to gradually replace the conventional round-style tubs in retail stores across the country soon.

Want to publish your opinion?
Contact us to become part of our Editorial Community.