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Broken: "Improved" Uncle Ben's package
Jan 18, 2008
From the This Is Broken group on Flickr, ree.linker points out that the "new and improved" Uncle Ben's, the larger box in the back, actually contains less rice. And the improvement is...?
Maybe the rice is improved, not the packaging? I sure hope so because the last time I had uncle ben's it was disgusting.
The rice needs room to breathe in cardboard boxes.
The new box conforms to ISO 215/922-R Standard for Air Space for Rice Packaged in Cardboard.
You don't need as much air space for rice in plastic bags because that rice is meant to suffocate in the bag so you don't have to hear it scream in the boiling water.
It says "See back for new cooking directions", so there must be something different about the rice...
Yes, the "new and improved" part seems to be the rice itself, since the blurb says to "see back for new cooking directions," but the extra air in the box is still a mystery to me.
Are they the same type of rice? White rice is made by processing brown rice. I am not a rice expert, but I am sure this makes for a difference in density of the rice. All variables need to be accounted for in these situations.
It might just be an improvement that targets those who don't care for brown rice...
Without seeing the entire box in back, it's hard to tell if it's even the same product. Could be instant rice or somesuch which may be packaged differently.
something is very wrong here. the fact that the rear box is mostly hidden is suspicious.
we can spot a capital W there which does not correspond with any of the words on the front box.
somehow, I don't "buy it"
This is consistent with most packaged products of late (I spent a few years working for packaged goods co's). Consumers don't want their products "changed" (sorry Barak) but co's are desparate for:
-charging more/offering less as their costs increase (e.g., $100 barrel oil)
-having something "new" to talk about
My advice to the consumer is to buy in bulk. You know how much you're getting 'cause you weigh it yourself. No sour grapes. And if enough people buy this way it will force super markets to offer certain products in bulk.
The pictures on the boxes look too similar for them to not both be brown rice. Looking at the front box, it contains "Natural Whole Grain" which would explain the 'W' on the other box. The back box also appears to have some non-English characters on it, but it appears to be a sticker (as it doesn't fit in with everything else on the boxes).
The non-English characters are Hebrew, and is a sticker from a supermarket in Israel called Superzol (meaning Supercheap).