Heinz Ketchup and Frito-Lay SunChips Solve Packaging Dilemmas

(MoneyWatch)  Heinz has finally addressed two of the age-old problems with ketchup packets -- they hold only a tiny amount of ketchup, and you can't dip fries into them. Its new "Dip and Squeeze" packets contain three times as much ketchup, and have a cup-base for easy dipping. If you'd rather squeeze the ketchup out onto something, there's a different opening for that.

Meanwhile, SunChips, made by PepsiCo's Frito Lay Canada, is ready to release its 100 percent compostable chip ag. The company announced plans for the bag last April, saying it would be ready by Earth Day, but apparently things are going ahead of schedule. The bag will break down in 14 weeks if deposited into a "hot, active compost pile."

Both companies are responding to consumer demand. "Every time consumers talk to us and engage with us, they ask us: 'Oh, what about your packaging?'" said Frito-Lay's Helmi Ansari. And at Heinz, according to Heinz Ketchup VP Dave Ciesinski, "The packet has long been the bane of our consumers."

Heinz is also planning to cut the sodium content of its ketchup by 15 percent.

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