The over-50s are being driven to "wrap rage" by hard to remove food packaging, according to a survey.
Bleach-bottle tops, shrink-wrapped cheese and ring-pull cans are top of the list of older shoppers' pet hates.
A poll of 2,000 Yours magazine readers found 99% thought packaging had got harder to open in the past 10 years.
In fact, 71% of readers of the magazine aimed at the over-50s said that they had been injured as they struggled to open food packaging.
And 97% thought there was just "too much excess packaging".
"Hard to open packaging isn't just a dangerous nuisance, it discriminates against the weak," said Valery McConnell, editor of Yours Magazine.
In the survey, the most common injury from trying to open packets was a cut finger, followed by cut hand, sprained wrist, bruised hand and strained shoulder muscle.
Six out of 10 of those questioned said they had bought a gadget, designed to make packaging easier to open.
Most people used pliers, scissors, rubber gloves and knives to try to prise open products.
Many older people found they even struggled to remove price labels from gifts such as CDs and books.
TV sitcom star Richard Briers told the magazine he too had problems unwrapping basic household goods.
"My biggest bugbear are childproof lids on things like mouthwash," he said.
Difficult to open
Bleach bottles
Jars
Shrink-wrapped cheese
Ring-pull cans
Meat and fish tins
Milk and juice cartons
Child-proof tops on medicines
Plastic tops on ready meals
Soap powder boxes
Biscuits
"Ann, my wife, usually asks me to open a bottle early in the morning when I'm weak and it's a heller because you have to push really hard before you twist."
Presenter Gloria Hunniford also said she had problems with packaging.
"Once I was being interviewed alongside a very important conductor on radio when coffee was brought in. Whilst trying to open a milk carton I tore the corner off with such gusto the entire contents went down his gorgeous black suit - and he was heading off to the Albert Hall for a concert."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.u...ess/3456645.stm
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ED:
The report went on to say that tins are responsible for nearly 40% of the 67,000 people a year injured in the UK whilst trying to open packaging - at a cost of £12m to the NHS (you and me). For every cause there is a resultant effect. And whilst the emphasis over the last decade or so has been on the food safety and child resistant properties of packaging we have neglected another very important function of packaging which is 'user friendliness.' We've all got our own particular bugbears to add to Richard Brier's list and we've discussed them from time to time on these forums. Perhaps every item of packaging should have to pass some sort of granny test before it can be released onto the general public.
I'm off to start a new packaging certification scheme with my gran...
Regards,
Simon
Bleach-bottle tops, shrink-wrapped cheese and ring-pull cans are top of the list of older shoppers' pet hates.
A poll of 2,000 Yours magazine readers found 99% thought packaging had got harder to open in the past 10 years.
In fact, 71% of readers of the magazine aimed at the over-50s said that they had been injured as they struggled to open food packaging.
And 97% thought there was just "too much excess packaging".
"Hard to open packaging isn't just a dangerous nuisance, it discriminates against the weak," said Valery McConnell, editor of Yours Magazine.
In the survey, the most common injury from trying to open packets was a cut finger, followed by cut hand, sprained wrist, bruised hand and strained shoulder muscle.
Six out of 10 of those questioned said they had bought a gadget, designed to make packaging easier to open.
Most people used pliers, scissors, rubber gloves and knives to try to prise open products.
Many older people found they even struggled to remove price labels from gifts such as CDs and books.
TV sitcom star Richard Briers told the magazine he too had problems unwrapping basic household goods.
"My biggest bugbear are childproof lids on things like mouthwash," he said.
Difficult to open
Bleach bottles
Jars
Shrink-wrapped cheese
Ring-pull cans
Meat and fish tins
Milk and juice cartons
Child-proof tops on medicines
Plastic tops on ready meals
Soap powder boxes
Biscuits
"Ann, my wife, usually asks me to open a bottle early in the morning when I'm weak and it's a heller because you have to push really hard before you twist."
Presenter Gloria Hunniford also said she had problems with packaging.
"Once I was being interviewed alongside a very important conductor on radio when coffee was brought in. Whilst trying to open a milk carton I tore the corner off with such gusto the entire contents went down his gorgeous black suit - and he was heading off to the Albert Hall for a concert."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.u...ess/3456645.stm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ED:
The report went on to say that tins are responsible for nearly 40% of the 67,000 people a year injured in the UK whilst trying to open packaging - at a cost of £12m to the NHS (you and me). For every cause there is a resultant effect. And whilst the emphasis over the last decade or so has been on the food safety and child resistant properties of packaging we have neglected another very important function of packaging which is 'user friendliness.' We've all got our own particular bugbears to add to Richard Brier's list and we've discussed them from time to time on these forums. Perhaps every item of packaging should have to pass some sort of granny test before it can be released onto the general public.
I'm off to start a new packaging certification scheme with my gran...
Regards,
Simon
