Planet conscience consumers are all for sustainable, biodegradable packaging; that is unless it concerns their snack food. Frito-Lay has been packaging some of their more popular snack chips in bags made of ninety percent renewable, plant based materials. This new packaging was made to completely break down into compost in fourteen weeks or less. They had hoped for an overwhelming consumer approval and acceptance for such a magnanimous move toward corporate "green" responsibility. What they didn't foresee was the undeniable fickleness of the average consumer. Frito-Lay put a lot of research time and money into the development of a compostable chip bag. In a hurry to hit the market with this innovative packaging they obviously didn't spend enough time monitoring consumer response to the new bags. Apparently when it comes to the average snack food consumer, quiet, non-biodegradable plastic packaging wins out over noisy, biodegradable packaging, no matter how environmentally responsible or friendly it may be. So it's back to the drawing board for Frito-Lay. Perhaps they should try out their next improved compostable chip bag with test consumers in a crowded movie theatre before hitting the stores.
