John Miller
A trend is underway in manufacturing and transportation.
Seems we are convulsed with trend changes, abrupt and sometimes shocking.
This one is getting underway and it will impact a lot of merchandise.
Events like California’s highest fuel taxes in the nation, coupled with $7.00/gallon diesel has food manufacturers, timber truckers, cattle haulers and beekeepers thinking deeply about freight.
Water. We haul a lot of water in manufactured products. Watch for big changes in lotions, conditioners and shampoos. The first ingredient in all three items is usually water.
So too foaming hand soap, spray cleaners, mouth wash – we have a lot of water in the house.
Are you fond of ham or turkey? Food manufacturers have perhaps perfected the injection of water [and salt] into turkey and ham, and packaging both in leak-proof plastic. It’s a marvel: Selling water for $6/pound.
Potting soil. Those bags are not quite mud; but they are far from dry. A semi hauls 4,000 bags of potting soil each weighing 12 pounds. How many more bags could be hauled if those bags weighed 10 pounds because the pot soil was packed dry? The savings are immediate and measurable.
Juice. Fresh Florida orange juice is a lot of water, sugars, flavor. Delicious. By the time the watery juice arrives in Calgary – a ton of fuel [and refrigeration] are used. Milk of all kinds: oat, almond, soy, cow, goat; all those products are… loaded with water.
To be clear, I’m not talking about the use of water in the creation of the described products. Loudmouths declaring the uninhabitable condition of our planet ten minutes from now [or maybe ten minutes ago? I’ve lost track] have their own place. This is about how the product gets to the consumer.
Ah, the consumer. The fickle consumer. Manufacturers expend fortunes attempting to figure out the consumer, who will embrace dried fruits, but reject dried milk. There is a reason 95+% of juice is not dehydrated. Consumers will embrace concentrated laundry and dish detergent, but shun a bottle of shampoo that trumpets ‘Use Less – Great Value – Add Water!’.
If a product is not convenient, even if it contains less water, if the convenience collides with function – the product is headed to discounted clearance death. Is that 12-pound bag of pot soil a value because it is heavy, and awkward, and us gardeners expect awkward and heavy?
What kind of motivation will change consumer behavior? Define consumer values. Everyone has tried. A 12-oz. can of Coke is water, sugar and flavorings. I buy the eight ounce cans because they are healthier. Will the V-8 drinking geezer spill a ¼ cup of powder into a glass of cold water?
Whiskey drinkers add water or ice or both to their tumbler. Whiskey is already mostly water.
[Could ANYONE talk Godlin into purchasing dehydrated/rehydrated Jack?]
Will consumers adopt a more virtuous view of purchases? I smile at the fiercely loyal Fiji bottled water drinkers who haven’t really thought about where, or how Fiji water gets here.
It’s far, far away. Same goes for San Pellegrino.
Is the soon-to-arrive bottle of concentrated hand lotion, with these instructions on the label:
‘Add six ounces of water prior to use’ going to work? Will consumers buy Florida fresh orange juice; and ‘Add three cans of water prior to use’ – in Calgary?
What will the packaging look like? Can a gallon of concentrated juice be sold with instructions to ‘Add three cans of water, mix thoroughly before serving’? Can I humble brag after a deliberate purchase of dehydrated shaving powder? Is that convenient? Does it even exist? Will it further dry my skin?
Will consumers buy a ham that is only 15% water-injected instead of 25% water-injected because consumers know it costs a lot to deliver goods by truck – and EVERYTHING is delivered by truck.
Consumers are not yet deeply thinking about packaging and freight efficiency. An early indicator may be less frequent shopping trips. Then comes the shock and awe of price inflation – a direct line from fuel cost to product cost. The long term awareness of needless water hauling will come from consumer interaction with food manufacturers. The motivation will come from the consumer. It must be convenient.
