Deceptive food packaging is becoming more common as companies try to cut costs while maintaining profit margins. Some companies even use clever marketing strategies, such as including a story lesson about the product to take up more space, as one shopper recently discovered.
what happened
On a subreddit devoted to poor design, one user shared a photo of a chocolate box he purchased from Vietnamese brand Legendary Chocolatier. The box contained eight pieces of cashew butter and cinnamon chocolate, along with a story about the chocolate printed on a piece of cardboard that took up half the box.
Photo credit: Reddit
Photo credit: Reddit
“Disappointing/misleading box of chocolates,” the original poster captioned the post, captioning the photo: “Packaging mostly for air.”
“This should be illegal,” said one user.
A second person wrote: “What makes me most angry is the increased carbon footprint of this product due to the extra shipping size to trick people into thinking the product is worth more than it really is.
“Such bull****. Companies that do this should be taxed for producing more waste,” said a third.
Why is misleading food packaging a concern?
More and more companies are using excess packaging to make it look like consumers are getting more for their money, when in reality they are getting much less for the same price. Not only does this lead to a frustrating customer experience, but it can ultimately destroy trust in the company if it doesn’t change its practices.
Not only that, packaging things with unnecessary materials creates more waste that is likely to end up in landfills, since most plastic is not recycled. In this case, the additional packaging is made of cardboard, which has a much lower impact on the environment.
But the fact remains that the buyer likely expected a full box of chocolates and got half a box and an interesting (but ultimately irrelevant) history lesson about the company.
Is Legendary Chocolatier doing anything about it?
The company does not disclose any of its food packaging policies or sustainability goals on its website. However, food and drink blogger Jovel Chan reported that Legendary Chocolatier is a “self-described bean-to-bar chocolatier” that sources cocoa beans from local farms and provinces. It is also a member of the Cacao Trace program, which works directly with farmers to improve their livelihoods and create a more sustainable supply chain.
When it comes to packaging, the company may not have deliberately misled customers, but instead sought to share the brand’s mission to make shoppers more aware of what they’re buying. Without knowing more about Legendary Chocolatiers’ packaging practices, it’s hard to say whether this incident qualifies as fraudulent.
How else are companies dealing with misleading packaging?
Food and drink company Danone has agreed to invest in initiatives to reduce plastic packaging after being accused of misleading customers about its efforts to tackle the problem of plastic waste. A growing number of consumers are calling out companies for excessive packaging and deceptive product labels, including major brands such as Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz.
Customers can help drive change by calling for greenwashing and supporting companies that adopt sustainable practices. If you think a company is using shady sales tactics, it’s a good idea to contact them and express your concerns. They might just change their practices if enough people bring the problem to their attention.
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