The design of product packaging in relation to customers with a disability

Re opening jars. It is easier to break the vacuum first. I have an old fashioned can opener to put under the rim to do this.

The seals on milk bottles really drive me bonkers the little pull tag is nearly always cut away into the screw cap. The suppliers must be well aware of the problem which is surely a matter of adjusting the robotics at the filling plant.

Thank you, Sago.

We test across the board from age 18 up, male&female.
Many respondents have disabilities.

Many of the products we test are predominantly aerosols, unfortunately it’s impossible to please everybody but the companies really try.

You can also get a gadget that makes turning taps on and off easier, if you still have the kind of tap that has to be turned.

Do you have to buy them in the UK? Here they are supplied free of charge by our health service if you need them.

Your practice nurse, or physiotherapist should be able to tell you what aids there are for your particular problem.

Check the shelves of your supermarkets too - there are one or two companies that use easy-to-open lids on their jars of jam, marmelade, beetroot etc. where you press down the middle of the lid, thus releasing tension before trying to turn the lid.

On reflection, the item could easily have been secured onto. flat cardboard, there was no need for all the stiff plastic.

Companies also have to pack for the thieves. I am always incredulous at the lengths people go to in order to steal things.

Sago

I have a Market Research company.
Our biggest customer is a household name.
A large part of our revenue comes from us having hundreds of people test the caps/lids on their products.
The tests are very comprehensive, it can take months and cost them many thousands of pounds to get the right cap.

Just wondering, do you get elderly people and people with arthritis in their hands and so on to test the caps and lids?

I realise that the products you test might not be from a company whose products people are finding hard to open.

I was opening a delivery of crafting equipment last year, it was quite large and enclosed in really robust plastic that I had to cut around with scissors. This left really sharp edges and, yes, I cut myself quite badly. On reflection, the item could easily have been secured onto. flat cardboard, there was no need for all the stiff plastic.

I contacted the company and made a few suggestions about plastic free packaging a nd mentioned that I have cut myself; they sent me a very apologetic email and some free crafting sundries which have come in really useful.

Sago. It is extremely helpful in this discussion to have the input from a professional and business viewpoint.
Thank you very much!

To those who have posted that they have difficulty in opening packs of bacon, salmon etc, bottles and the like - what do you suggest they do in practical terms? (Apart from purchasing aids in the hope these might help).
My guess would be to write directly to the manufacturers concerned but do, for example, people contact you and other marketing firms direct to highlight difficulties they are experiencing?

Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on the matter!

I struggle with everything mentioned so far. Also the first opening of other bottles and containers where you need to break the seal. Wine, juice, milk, Domestos. None of my gadgets helps.

I have a Market Research company.
Our biggest customer is a household name.
A large part of our revenue comes from us having hundreds of people test the caps/lids on their products.
The tests are very comprehensive, it can take months and cost them many thousands of pounds to get the right cap.

I often find the products designed to open jars, etc do not work for me.
StarDreamer, I think it would have been better to ask people to say "Yes, please" in your initial post about sponsored talks with manufacturers in conjunction with Gransnet if you want support in this area.

YES PLEASE!

I have arthritis in my thumb joints. I find it virtually impossible to open packs of meat or fish in those vacuum packed trays. Firstly, the little tabs you are supposed to pull are far to small to get a proper grip.
When you do get in to it, pulling off the plastic is troublesome.
I don't enjoy having to fight with food before I cook it!

The seals on plastic milk bottles drive me nuts and I usually cut fish/meat out of the tray with my kitchen scissors. I don't have a disability but find both those things really tricky.

I use scissors for anything in a plastic pack - eg my new toothbrush - as it is just easier than the manufacturer's way.

I have found that wearing a pair of rubber gloves makes it much easier to open jars and bottles. Some, especially pasta sauce jars, have sloping edges and the jar opener just slides off them.

I also have partial sight impairment so how I have not done myself an injury with a sharp knife trying to open eg salmon fillets in rigid plastic is beyond me.

Perhaps it is a good thing but I can no longer open even a bar of chocolate without using a pair of scissors.

Yesterday I had a terrible job opening a large pack of washing powder-again I had to use a sharp knife.

I find the little covering on milk bottles (the plastic ones) almost impossible to remove.
I have really sore fingers, with little paper cut type splits on them.

MawtheMerrier

While other suppliers are available , this gadget from Amazon does many of the tasks people with arthritis or rheumatism find difficult.

【6 IN 1 JAR OPENER】 This adjustable jar opener is made of food grade stainless steel Comfortable hand feeling, high hardness and corrosion resistance. and has 6 different types of seals and lids-bags, tightly seals, pull tabs, bottle caps, bottle tops, jar lids,kitchen cans, beer, soda, etc.This jar opener can be used for variety of jars and bottles. A must-have jar opener for home kitchens, restaurants, camping, barbecue parties and outdoor picnics.

I have one of these and cannot get on with it! I think mine is a cheap copy as it does not seem to grip the rim of jars or bottles to unscrew the lid.

I need to look for a better product!

I struggle with the ring pulls on cams such as tonic or coke so end up lifting the edge with the knife blade then using the handle of the knife to lever up the pull. Easy to do but really should not be necessary.

Maw that’s the one I bought from Amazon, it’s really very good.

But I still have to use a sharp knife sometimes.

Maw when I had tendonitis I bought an opener like that. It's been a godsend ever since.

I can’t read the instructions often white on yellow or white on pale blue some other silly colour combination

I can’t get on the link it takes me to the cow and the mooooved comment

While other suppliers are available , this gadget from Amazon does many of the tasks people with arthritis or rheumatism find difficult.

【6 IN 1 JAR OPENER】 This adjustable jar opener is made of food grade stainless steel Comfortable hand feeling, high hardness and corrosion resistance. and has 6 different types of seals and lids-bags, tightly seals, pull tabs, bottle caps, bottle tops, jar lids,kitchen cans, beer, soda, etc.This jar opener can be used for variety of jars and bottles. A must-have jar opener for home kitchens, restaurants, camping, barbecue parties and outdoor picnics.

Neither DH nor I have a serious disability, just a bit of arthritis in our thumb joints but, for the life of us, we can't open those packs of salmon or bacon which have a rigid plastic base and a peel-back film lid. Even if we manage to get the lid to start peeling, it's well nigh impossible to hold it firmly enough to open it fully.

I’ve just opened a packet with some new insoles for my trainers and was seriously worried about slicing my finger off: the plastic is razor sharp. I know if you shop in supermarkets they will open jars for you but we get everything delivered these days.

MissOops has bad arthritis in her hands and fingers, she has a strip of silicone material and uses it to open bottles, also a special opener bought from Amazon.

I tried to open a shrink wrapped pack of tins of Tuna yesterday, I had to slash the plastic with a Stanley knife!

I find it impossible to open child proof bottles I've Arthritis in fingers and carpel tunnel syndrome in hands. Have to put bottle in near hinges on doors and close door over to bottle then turn it opens the squeeze and turn bottles