This isn't ordinary packaging, this is M and S packaging

[Nero]

Got myself a ping meal from M and S and was pleased it had a cardboard (brown and simple looking cardboard at that) wrapping. But then it dawned on me that the brown paper packing was just greenwash, as beneaht it was the usual black placcy. This is blatant waste and waste that stems from an ulterior, hypocritical motive. Nero

[SeanMacGabhann]

Nero

As a suave and intelligent homme it shouldn't matter to you if it was packaged in leaves rolled by naked virgins - it's a ping-meal! It has had industrial-levels of energy consumption, additives, salt and lord-knows-what already added to it's transported across the globe ass, not to mention dubious content (the sausages in this meal contain MINIMUM 5% meat (sub bracket - meat from more than one EU country))

You need to say summat here:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,22444

[Nero]

I got caught up in the accident on W Rd so couldn't get to where I wanted to go so thought I would save time with a ping meal, which is the first one in ages. M and S packaging in general is awful. But I fancied a paella. I won't do it again. Nero

[SeanMacGabhann]

Easy Nero - I was being playful! (semi)

[Nero]

No, S, u r right. Pingin' is mingin'. Nero

[Huguenot]

Yes! I see a new campaign!!!

Pingin' is Mingin'

Who knows Jamie Oliver? That could be his first campaign for kids to take his school dinner campaign back home?

Pingin' is Mingin'

Love it.

[Nero]

Thanks, Hugue. Appreciation of anything word-wise from you is highly valued. Perhaps I should continue thinking up snappy, slightly trite phrases for as yet unannounced media campaigns, date them, then flog them off to the highest bidder. Nero

[Asset]

I just worked out what you meant by ping meal! bit slow there

[RosieH]

without meaning to be a pedant, or particularly play devil's advocate, you were never really going to get a microwave meal in all-cardboard packaging.

the brown and simple outer is meant to communicate healthier / balanced meal messages rather than being better for the environment necessarily (although there are doubtless superficial unbleached / recycled card or something messages..?)

And the sad truth is that we can slate the manufacturers til the cows come home, but they're giving the punters what they want. People want ready meals. People want crisps in foil packaging because that keeps their crisps crisp for longer. People want extended shelf lives.

and today they're suggesting we feed dead chickens to our livestock again. people want a good talking to.

[Nero]

Rosie, such was my love of all things green that I DID suspend my rational brain and think 'wow, a card-covered pinger meal!' Such is the current love of all things enviro-friendly that manufacturers can afford to try to hoodwink us. It worked! I agree with you, Rosie. I just fell for it. Nero

[Asset]

In re. packaging, I have heard that some punters in Germany are removing unnecessary packaging at the checkout and leaving it in the store. I think that is fantastic and have been tempted to do that myself - shall we start a forum unnecessary packaging

demo at ED Sainsbury's?

[RosieH]

yeah I know, didn't mean to bang on. it just exercises me somewhat. I work in food marketing - in theory I should be wise to it - but I still get suckered by new packaging / recipes / whatever.

if we, the educated, greengrocer / butcher / fishmonger shopping, cloth bag carrying, demi-glace making denizens of right-on East Dulwich fall for their wiles, what hope the great unwashed..?

the animal feed thing really got to me

[RosieH]

The spurning of the packaging has happened in the UK already, late last year - Ben Bradshaw urged shoppers to do the same thing. BBC

The Today programme did a segment on it - how cashiers reacted when shoppers did leave the packaging behind - was quite funny but by and large it was the people behind them in the queue who got most incensed.

I urge you to go for it - but you might get assaulted in Sainsbury's