Food and Drink Packaging
Major advancements were made in the area of food packaging during the Baby Boomer years, which led to new ways to display, store and package food, as well as extend the storage life of foods that were classed as perishables, other than by freezing (Clarence Birdseye is credited with inventing the quick freezing method in 1924).
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PET bottles |
Aluminum cans were first used for the storage of beverages in 1957. Two years later the first diet cola was sold. The pull-ring tab was first marketed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company of Pittsburgh, PA. It was invented by Alcoa in 1962. The Schlitz Brewing company introduced the "Pop Top" beer can to the nation in March 1963; the "Pop Top" was invented by Ermal Fraze of Kettering, Ohio, a year earlier. In 1965, soft drinks in cans were first dispensed from vending machines in the US. In the same year the resealable top was invented. Here in Australia, it was a while before the Pop-Top can would be introduced; before the Pop-Top we saw the "Ring-Pull". Ring-Pull ends were a good and a bad idea rolled into one. Beverage cans were much easier to open, but go to any football match and there would be thousands of those ring-pulls littering the ground when the crowd left. Mow the grass after that barbeque and there’d be missiles shooting everywhere. Fortunately, the ring-pull end was eventually replaced by various ‘retained tab’ designs, the most popular being the Pop-Top, but, amazingly, some countries still use Ring-Pulls.
Poppers or Fruit Boxes are technically known as Tetra Packs. This is the name of the Swedish company that invented the process of packing fruit drinks into these petite boxes in 1950. The process of creating poppers starts with creating the juice. Fruit is crushed into juices and then put through a UHT (ultra high temperature) machine to sterilise the juices, which takes all the nasty bacteria that could exist out. They heat it up to 121°. After the sterilisation process the juice is filtered to take out the remaining solids. The juice is then packed into the Tetra Packs which are comprised of seven different layers of plastic and paper so that even when they are formed into the box and filled with juice they remain sealed and don't leak. Finally, a straw is stuck to the side and they are sent on their way! 80% of the world's drinks sold in cardboard cartons are supplied in Tetra Paks.
Reusable PP take out containers, PET clam shell containers (photos: Inhold Pty Ltd)
In 1970 plastic bottles were first used for soft drinks. The PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottle was created in 1973. PET is a strong but lightweight form of clear polyester. It is used to make containers for soft drinks, juices, alcoholic drinks, water, take-away foods, edible oils, household cleaners, and other food and non-food applications. PET was first developed for use in synthetic fibres by British Calico Printers in 1941. Although originally produced for fibres, PET began to be used for packaging films in the mid 1960s and then, in the early 1970s, the technique for blowing bi-axially oriented bottles was commercially developed. Another striking feature of PET on the environmental side is that it is fully recyclable. It was in 1977 that the first PET bottle was recycled and was turned into a bottle basecup. Soon however, the fiber industry discovered the "new" material source and started using it for making textiles, carpets and non-wovens. Today, even though the "bottle to bottle" recycling process is growing, the fibre market is still the major outlet for recovered PET.
The Wine Cask
Developed by Tom Angove of Angove's, winemakers and distillers, of Renmark in South Australia, and patented on 20th April, 1965, the wine cask was designed to store and carry wine in a larger container than a bottle, and for the contents to stay fresh longer. The title of the invention was 'improved container and pack for liquids'. Up to then the bulk of wine in Australia was sold in bottles and glass flagons. The half gallon glass flagon was susceptible to breakage and the wine, being exposed to air after opening, deteriorated in quality if not consumed fairly quickly. This innovation compises of a soft flexible bag, sealed without any air space, which collapsed as wine was withdrawn, thus protecting the remaining wine from air spoilage. The cubical shape of the cardboard container was not only space and transport economical but also protected the bag of wine from a fair degree of rough handling. Initially there were problems with trace leaks through the membrane and in pouring but over the years these improved, especially with a new tapping device in the early 80s.
The bag took two years to develop and after much market research one gallon packs of table white, table red, port, sweet sherry and muscat were launched in November 1965. Angove's actually opted out of the cask market in 1971 due to the then unreliability of the pack but with improved design of the pack Angove's re-entered the quaffing wine market in 1984.
Food & household innovations timeline
1946 - Italian company Achilles Gaggia invents the high pressure espresso coffee machine.
1946 - Latex Gloves are developed in Australia.
1947 - The first "Add water & bake" cake mixes are made by Betty Crocker.
1947 - Aluminum foil for kitchen use goes on sale.
1947 - The shopping trolley is invented in its present form in Oklahoma City, USA.
1947 - The Golden Circle brand is established. Its first product is canned pineapple.
1947 - The Tupperware seal is patented. Tupperware begins being sold by party plan in the US in 1951.
1947 - Homogenised milk is introduced.
1947 - Kraft Singles processed cheese slices introduced.
1948 - Four'n'Twenty meat pies (right) first go on sale in Melbourne. They are first manufactured in Bendigo, Vic.
1948 - Percy Spencer invents the microwave oven.
1948 - The Sunbeam Mixmaster, model 9B, is launched. It becomes the first small electrical appliance to be manufactured in Australia, and cost more than a month's wages.
1948 - Velcro is invented.
1948 - Frozen french fries first go on sale.
1948 - V-8 juice goes on sale in the US.
1948 - Freecorns sets up its first supermarket at Cottesloe in suburban Perth, WA. It is believed to have been Australia's first suburban, self-serve grocery supermarket.
1949 - Minute Rice introduced by Kraft Foods.
1949 - Peters Choc Wedge ice cream introduced.
1949 - Seedless watermelon developed.
1949 - Sara Lee baked foods company commences business.
1950 - Metal lunchboxes go on sale.
1950 - Bic ballpoint pens are first sold in Australia.
1950 - The familiar green plastic garbage bag (made from polyethylene) is invented by Harry Wasylyk.
1950 - Kraft Deluxe process cheese slices introduced.
1951 - George Stephen invents the original Weber Kettle Grill (right).
1951 - Continental Soup brand launched by Unilever.
1952 - Nestlé Quik (later to be renamed Nesquick) launched in Australia.
1952 - Kellogg's Frosted Flakes launched in Australia.
1952 - Lipton Tea patents a novel four-sided tea bag called the flo-thru tea bag.
1953 - Irish coffee invented in San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe.
1953 - Plastic wrap is invented by a scientist who failed while trying to make a hard plastic cover for his car but then found a use for it in the kitchen.
1954 - Kraft Cheddar Portions and Cracker Barrel Cheese are first manufactured.
1954 - Trix dishwashing detergent introduced.
1954 - Cookware with a non-stick Teflon coating goes on sale worldwide.
1955 - Continental Cheese Spread is introduced.
1955 - Sunbeam launches its Australian-made Pop-Up Toaster, its first electric frypan and the Ironmaster Dry Iron.
1955 - Edgell and Birds Eye frozen food brands merge.
1955 - Kelloggs introduce Special K breakfast cereal (right).
1956 - Philadelphia Cream Cheese becomes the first cream cheese to be produced commercially in Australia.
1956 - Sunbeam 10-inch electric frying pan with glass lid and integrated thermostat is launched.
1956 - The winding mechanism is added to the Hills clothes hoist.
1956 - B&D Roller Door is developed and goes on sale.
1957 - Kraft Coon Cheese is introduced.
1957 - Schweppes Bitter Lemon is launched.
1958 - Cadbury Picnic bar is launched.
1957 - Schweppes Bitter Orange is launched.
1958 - Rice-a-Riso (right) invented under the name of Rica-A-Roni in the US.
1958 - Kraft becomes the first Australian commercial manufacturer of cheddar cheese.
1958 - Lipton invents Instant Tea.
1958 - The Chupa Chup lollipop on a stick is invented in Spain by an apple jam factory.
1958 - Woolworths begins converting its variety stores to the self-service format.
1959 - Network marketing company, Amway, founded.
1959 - Stimorol introduced.
1958 - Kelloggs introduces Cocoa Pops.
1959 - Kraft processed cheese slices are first manufactured in Australia.
1959 - Dr Allan Maruff establishes the Nerada tea plantation in the foothills of the Atherton Tablelands near Innisfail, Qld.
1959 - Coca-Cola begins marketing its family sized bottles as "King Size Coke".
1960 - Dominoes Pizza launched in Detroit, USA.
1960 - The first Coles supermarket opens in North Balwyn, Vic.
1960 - Woolworths launches its Food Fair supermarket chain.
1960 - Sprite soft drink launched.
1961 - Coffee-Mate (left) non-dairy creamer launched.
1961 - Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese launched.
1961 - Weight Watchers established, first as a meeting of a group of six friends at a home in Queens, New York.
1961 - Chux wipes launched.
1962 - Vacuum packaged is first coffee introduced by the Mellitta Bentz Company.
1962 - The first Coles New World supermarket opens in Frankston, Vic.
1962 - Canadian, Edward A. Asselbergs invents instant mashed potatoes (dehydrated potato flakes).
1962 - Chocolate Eclair sweets are launched by London confectioner James Pascall.
1963 - Haagen Daas ice cream is first created by Reuben Mattus, the son of US Jewish immigrants.
1963 - Peters Drumstick ice cream introduced.
1963 - Aerogard Insect Repellent introduced.
1963 - Fruit Loops breakfast cereal introduced.
1963 - Arnotts Tim Tam chocolate biscuits (left) launched.
1964 - Pop Tarts invented.
1964 - Milk first supplied in Tetra Pak (plastic) containers.
1964 - Diet Pepsi Cola is introduced.
1964 - Nutella spread introduced.
1961 - Campbell's Soups begins the manufacture of its products in Australia at Shepparton, Vic.
1964 - Peters Giant Sandwich ice cream introduced. The Monaco Bar became the most popular kind.
1965 - Kraft Cheesticks and Kraft Thousand Island Dressing launched.
1965 - The wine cask is developed by Thomas Angove of South Australia.
1965 - The Gatorade drink launched.
1965 - The British company Wilkinson Sword introduces razor blades made of stainless-steel.
1965 - Dorito brand corn chips first manufactured.
1965 - Glen Raven Mills develops a seamless pantyhose version that coincides with the introduction of the miniskirt.
1965 - Twist Cup introduced and sold for one shilling and three pence.
1966 - Cadbury Caramello Koalas launched.
1966 - The Glad Wrap brand of cling wrap is first sold in Australia, three years after its launch in the US.
1967 - Australia's first Taco Bill Mexican restaurant opens on the Queensland Gold Coast.
1967 - Twix chocolate bar introduced.
1968 - Australia's first KFC store opens in Guildford in suburban Sydney, NSW.
1968 - McDonald's introduces the Big Mac (not in Australia, as the company is yet to open franchise stores here).
1969 - Australia's first K-Mart store opens in Burwood in suburban Melbourne, Vic.
1969 - Tic Tac mints, manufactured by Italian confectioner, Ferrero, are introduced.
1970 - The sugar-free 7-Up soft drink is introduced by Schweppes.
1970 - The first Target store opens in Newtown in suburban Adelaide, SA.
1971 - Australia's first Hungy Jacks restaurant opens in Inaloo in suburban Perth, WA.
1971 - Australia's first McDonald's restaurant opens in Yagoona in suburban Sydney, NSW.
1971 - Cadbury Creme Egg launched.
1972 - Mr Coffee, the first automatic drip-brew coffeemaker for home use, is introduced.
1972 - Uncle Sam deodorant and herbal hair shampoo launched. With Uncle Sam, Ask not what your deodorant can do for you; ask what you can do for your deodorant.
1971 - The Trac II, the world's first two-blade razor, introduced by Gillette.
1972 - Australia's first Red Rooster store opens in Kelmscott in suburban Perth, WA.
1972 - McDonald's introduces the Egg McMuffin.
1972 - Italian confectioner, Ferrero invents Kinder Surprise chocolates.
1973 - Bic launches its disposable lighter with an adjustable flame.
1974 - The bite-sized chocolate sweet, Skittles, introduced.
1974 - Dynamic Lifter fertiliser pellets (left) introduced.
1974 - Lime Fresh soap and deodorant launched.
1974 - The first thong bikini is launched.
1975 - Zip Instant Boiling Water Heater patented.
1975 - Ready to eat custard first produced under the Pauls brand in 600g cartons.
1975 - Bic introduces the one-piece disposable shaver it has invented.
1976 - Kraft Singles launched.
1977 - McDonald's introduces the Happy Meal.
1977 - Yoplait yogurt introduced.
1978 - Long life fruit juice packaged in Tetra Paks is launched under the brand name Popper.
1978 - Razzamatazz pantyhose (right) introduced.
1981 Kraft Philadelphia Spreadable cheese spread launched.
1981 - Aspartame is approved for human consumption in the US. This results in the introduction of the artificial sweeteners Nutrasweet and Equal.
1981 - Ardmona introduces fruit packaged via its unique Snack Pack technology.
1983 - The Jenny Craig weight lost programme is established in Melbourne.
1984 - Coca Cola launch a test 500ml plastic bottle in Darwin.
1984 - 2 litre plastic milk bottles (left) launched.
1987 - Cadbury Twirl is launched.
1987 - Eagles Boys Pizza commences business in Albury, NSW.
1989 - Launched initially in 1883 by George & Charlotte Sargent, the Sargent's Pie is relaunched as a frozen 4 pack of pies through major supermarket chains.
1995 - Cadburys Time Out is launched.
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