Why is most cereal inside a plastic bag inside a cardboard box, when it doesn’t seemingly need the cardboard box?

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Why is most cereal inside a plastic bag inside a cardboard box, when it doesn’t seemingly need the cardboard box?

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15 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The box keeps the bag from getting crushed so your cereal isn’t dust by the time you get it.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The bag protects it from moisture and oxygen, the box protects it from (mild) crush and cut damage during shipping.

Some brands around here do forego the box and just ship in a bag – and I have accidentally purchased bags that were cut open and stale.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The bag stops the cereal from going stale, because a cardboard box isn’t airtight. The box keeps the cereal from getting crunched to bits, and is probably better for advertising (boxes can stand upright on a shelf for more visibility, bags cannot). Hence, box + bag.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Protects the cereal inside and marketing. Easy standing boxes with flashy graphics look better than a bunch of sacks laying all floppy on a shelf.

Anonymous 0 Comments

A few reasons come to mind.

Tradition: it’s the way it’s always been done. It’s what everyone else does. Why rock the boat?

Risk/Cost: Any change would be a risk. Would the money saved in packaging be offset by losses from people not liking change? How much would it cost to retool their factories to print on the plastic bags? Do they need to be different plastic bags or can we use the same ones? Can we pack the same amount on a truck?

Stigma: Currently the cheaper cereals come in bags. Puffed rice, puffed millet. Store brand stuff. We don’t want our brand associated with that stuff.

Aesthetic: We can print nice big, flat, advertising on the box. It’s easy to read and stands out on a shelf. Bags are just piled up in a bin. So the other guy’s cereal is being displayed prominently while mine is stacked up on its side.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Boxes stack better and shelve better. Cereal weighs a lot more than potato chips. Think how hard it is to shelve potato chips? Now imagine the chips in each bag were heavy enough to crush/pop other bags when handled carelessly. Also, branding on a box works better for cereal, because you want certain things on the front and back and certain things on the sides and top. Printing all that stuff on a bag is less ideal.

Edit: Bag, not back.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The box makes them easier to stack on pallets and store shelves, and the upright box just looks better than the plastic pillow of sadness.

Also breakfast is a hoax.

Anonymous 0 Comments

increase production costs to offset handling costs.

Boxes are easier to handle, ship, and store.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The bag protects things from air and water, while still being easy to open

The box protects the bag from getting torn open in shipping. Also probably does something to minimise crushing

Anonymous 0 Comments

In addition to the other comments- Marketing, more space for cartoons on an upright box to grab kids attention and ask their parents for it