Why Hasn't America Looked Internationally For Better Sauce Packets?

If you've ever dealt with the unpredictability of traditional sauce packets then you're familiar with the messes they can create. The sticky fingers, ketchup-splattered shirts, and misapplication of mustard — missing its mark and landing squarely on the bun instead of the intended hot dog — are all something we've come to accept. But, in other countries, they're evolving while the U.S. gets left behind. 

Perhaps we've rested on our laurels, thinking condiment packets aren't a frontier worth conquering. Well, that sentiment wasn't echoed in Japan, where companies have developed innovative, easy-to-use sauce packets inspired by Sanford Redmond's DispenSRpak design. Interestingly, Redmond, an American inventor, created the easy-squeeze DispenSRpak decades ago. His creation offered a user-friendly solution that has been widely adopted in Japan, with packets that dispense smoothly and don't require foil layers.

This is proof that streamlined packet designs can improve your dining experience. And yet ... America has largely overlooked this, raising the question: Why hasn't America followed suit with Redmond's design? Though I can't get into the minds of the higher-ups, the reasons America doesn't have Japanese-style sauce packets may boil down to established practices and consumer habits. 

The greatest gift these international sauce packets give is their easy-squeeze functionality — a welcome departure from the traditional American packets that require you to tear them open, often leading to spills. Japanese sauce packets are also engineered to give you great control over the amount of sauce you dispense. You simply squeeze the pack on both sides, releasing the contents smoothly from the middle without the need to peel back foil, and allowing you to control the stream as you go. In countries like Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, they are used to house a wide range of sauces.

There's no fuss or hassle, which makes these packets just right for convenient on-the-go meals where you can't afford to make a mess. These easy-to-use designs offer a better eating experience and also help producers cut down on waste. Japanese sauce packets don't use all the extra layers of foil or plastic and reflect Sanford Redmond's belief that it is better to reduce plastic than to recycle it. If American fast-food chains adopted similar sauce containers, it could make customers happier and make eating out more eco-friendly.

Japanese sauce packets are designed for easy squeezing and mess-free control, but they require specialized machinery to make and would involve a huge shake-up of the fast food packaging industry if widely adopted. Currently, U.S. fast-food chains rely on simply designed, tear-open packets, so switching would mean big changes for manufacturers. And, though they'd be in the minority, some Americans don't actually mind keeping things the same, tapping into fast food nostalgia for the way things were when they were kids.

Another reason for the slow uptick in Sandford Redmond's designs stateside may come down to the creator's reluctance to dabble in corporate ventures. Although he experienced major success during the 1960s with his butter packaging machine and sold his sauce packet design to Mitsubishi in the '90s, Redmond noted in a New York Times interview in 2000 that he had massively downsized his business. Despite this, however, there continues to be a growing interest in packaging that's convenient and better for the environment, so who knows? Maybe American chains will get there one day.