I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of the food industrypioneers Gerry Thomas, One of our unsung heroes credited withinvented a "package" the frozen TV dinner that literally changedthe way we eat. Never mind that it was considered bynutritionists as a step backwards, his invention still made amajor shift in the food and food services industries. In factfoodservice was in the early stages of product development whenthe TV dinner was first introduced in the. (turkey with cornbread dressing and gravy, sweet potatoes and buttered peas - soldfor about $1 apiece and could be cooked in 25 minutes at 425degrees.)

I was reminded of other packaging innovations that we take forgranted. Everyday foods such as microwave popcorn, prewashedsalads, shredded cheeses to name a few. All that are alreadyprepared and ready to be consumed within a few minutes. Productsthat have make our lives a whole lot better.

Consider were we would be without these package innovations thatmake meal preparation easy or a whole lot simpler. Remember whenall the food preparation was done by your mother or yourgrandmother. Not anymore. One of the fasting growing food sectorsis the prepared, ready-to eat or easy/minimal preparation meal.We are a convenience society and packaging innovation has mademajor strides in providing products that are ideal for thislifestyle.

Have you ever given any thought to the box that delivers yourpizza, why its still hot and not soggy, or the prewashed saladsand carrots that are ready to eat or put on the table?What about the juice box and the "Lunchables" that makes schoollunches a breeze.

Packaging makes all this possible. I won't bore you with al thetechnical details just that without the package many of theseproducts couldn't exist. Innovations such as the TV dinner havebecome "de rigeur" in American culture.

So the next time you hear someone bad mouthing all the packagingmaterials going into landfills or the excess packaging materialthat is use to package a product or how difficult it is to open.Remember consumer (that's you) are demanding these products beinvented.

The features and attributes that you complain about also keep itfresh, sanitary, and easy to use to make your life and yourfamilies lives much better.

After all consider the fact that without a package you couldn'thave a product.

For a list of packaging innovations that havechanged the way we shop, eat or generally made our lives betteror to discuss what's on the horizon in packaging technology email the Packaging Diva @ packagingdiva@aol.com