June Clark explains to Hawke's Bay Today reporter Mitchell Hageman why the new plastic one litre milk bottle is causing her grief. Video / Warren Buckland
Napier woman June Clark loves cooking a white sauce for dinner, but making it has become harder these past few weeks.
Clark, in her 80s, got a shock when she went on her weekly grocery shop to find the bottles of 1-litre Value Standard milk she usually purchases from Pak‘n Save no longer had a handle.
Foodstuffs says most one-litre bottles of fizz, juice, squash and water don’t have handles, and it made the change to reduce waste and help the environment.
It believes the new bottle’s lighter design, which also negates the need for a top foil seal, will prevent 2.7 tonnes of material from going to landfill each year.
June Clark has arthritis in her hands and is struggling to handle the new 1L Standard milk bottles. Here she shows a comparison between the old and new bottles. Photo / Warren Buckland
But for Clark, who’s struggled for most of her life with debilitating hand issues and arthritis, it’s meant she’s now decanting her milk into one of the old handled bottles that she’s saved for herself.
Even that is challenging. The new bottle has made it harder for her to use her gripping tool to open the milk, as there’s no handle to leverage.
“It’s a big problem,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today, citing the fact that other branded 1-litre bottles were significantly more expensive.
“Whether I look for another brand of the one-litre milk I don’t know.”
Clark said a suggestion from a friend was to put her milk into a glass jug to make things easier, however she’d still have to get it open, and she said the frequency of earthquakes in the Hawke’s Bay region meant she’d be worried about the mess a breakage would cause.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one.”
In 2018, it was found about 670,000 New Zealanders aged 15 or over were living with at least one type of arthritis.
Pak 'n Save is selling new handle-less milk in its North Island stores. Photo / Pak 'n Save
Arthritis New Zealand CEO Philip Kearney said he agreed the new design would be harder for people living with issues like arthritis.
“Certainly [no handles] makes it much harder to lift,” he said.
“With [the new] structure, [those with arthritis] are almost going to have to use two hands to actually be able to pour the milk.”
Kearney said Arthritis New Zealand actively participates in programmes focused on accessible packaging with its international partners as well as other milk brands in the past.
“It is an issue, no question. We worked with Fonterra about four to five years ago around the tab you usually take off the top of your milk, which was really difficult for people with arthritis.”
He noted that part of producing a product often involved thinking about ease of use.
“We’ve got an ageing population, with over 400,000 people with osteoarthritis and over 100,000 with rheumatoid arthritis, who are all going to struggle with certain products that haven’t necessarily been thought out.
“We are always interested in these sorts of issues so we can advocate on behalf of those with arthritis.”
Foodstuffs spokesperson Emma Wooster said the company had introduced the new handle-free bottles for 1L Value Standard Milk, 1L Value Lite Milk and 1L Pams Cream.
“The handle-free bottles are 6 per cent lighter, which means they produce fewer carbon emissions and less waste.”
Wooster said before any packaging changes were made, the company would always make a conscious effort to get feedback.
“To make sure we were doing the right thing we first had our supply partner seek feedback on a number of prototype bottles from a wide range of Kiwis at all ages and stages of life,” she said.
“We listened to their opinions on the ease of holding, lifting, opening the cap, pouring, controlling the pour and closing the cap. We also looked at sturdiness and the overall perception of the product. Their comments and insights determined our final choice of bottle design.”
Wooster said a big focus of the new packaging was to tackle customer complaints about the top foil seal being difficult to remove.
“Our new handle-free bottles have tamperproof lids, which means they no longer have foil seals,” she said.
“We’re proud our new bottles will reduce packaging waste in New Zealand by preventing 2.7 tonnes of material from going to landfill each year.”
Wooster said the company would “continue to listen to customer feedback to ensure these changes have a positive impact on our customers and the planet.”
For June Clark, her message to the company is clear.
“Please go back to having a handle.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.
