LETTERS: A WORLD OF PACKAGING

To the editor:

Not long ago I bought some medication. The top of the bottle said to press down on the lid while turning. After a brief struggle with that instruction, I was able to remove the lid only to discover a foil cover still tightly glued to the bottle. With a knife I was able to remove this, only to learn that the pills were protected by quite a wad of cotton. After trying to remove the cotton with my fingers, and then resorting to the points of a scissor, I was at last able to get down to the medication. The medication wasn't that urgently needed, but what if time had been of the essence? I realized again how much we spend on packaging for sanitation and cleanliness and for our protection. I certainly want some protection, but do we overdo it? We may spend more on packaging products than many countries spend on food.

We are accustomed to purchase items in glass jars or bottles, and, after using the contents, we usually discard the bottle and jars as of little value. Still, in other less affluent countries, these containers are kept and treasured and used for many other purposes. One can see the native women walking along carrying a bottle or jar atop their heads. Since they walk withy such excellent carriage and balance, they seldom drop the prized item.

Many years ago a university classmate asked me to work as a substitute for him at a Kroger store while he took a day of vacation. I was assigned to the task of putting the purchases of the customer into the paper bags and then into the cart. I learned that there was an art or skill in putting those articles in proper sequence to make the best use of the bag. By the end of the day I was exhausted, and I had not learned the art of packaging very efficiently. Packaging is not just an art or service but big business.

In some countries, one has to bring his own bag to carry the items purchased. Woe to the person who has no such bag. I recall once in England my daughter asked me to go to the bakery to buy some bread. I thought some of the rolls and tarts looked so good that I bought eight. I must have been quite a site walking down the street trying to keep those rolls properly balanced on one another while cradled in my arms.

I used to wonder why we say we wrap things up and down. There is little question that we have the best and most thorough system of packaging. We can be glad that such care is taken to safeguard our health. It is a service which is appreciated, but let's not go overboard.

IVAN H. NOTHDURFT

Cape Girardeau