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