Tamper Resistant Star

Tamper Resistant Star

Importance of a Tamper-Evident Packaging

Packaging products is an exciting phase in marketing. Marketers invest creative designs to make it appealing to customers yet still provide information on its label as mandated by bureaus of the government like its brand name (and its generic name if it's a drug); name of the manufacturer and/or importer/distributor; bar code; size or volume; formulation and ingredients; how to use the products; nutrition facts (for food products); date of its manufacture and its expiration; place where the products were made; recycling information; product precautions and contra-indications.

Of course, with all such mandatory information on a product label, a successful packaging must also keep it safe from tampering by placing security measures onto it.

Tampering is an act that involves deliberate altering of information, damaging or pilfering a product, package or to counterfeit a system in the process of production, distribution, logistics and its sale.

Possibly, the most infamous case of product tampering is the Tylenol crisis of 1982, in which seven people in the Chicago area died after taking what they thought was a Tylenol capsule but was in fact potassium cyanide. The case, up to this date, is still unsolved. But what makes this case remarkable is that it led to tough anti-tampering laws, as well as a massive shift in how consumer goods are designed: tamper-proof.

Safety Concerns

One of the main concerns regarding product tampering is customer safety especially when it comes to food products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other items for consumption and application.

Tampering with these kinds of products can seriously affect people's psychical reactions, putting their health and safety at risk, which is why such products have tamper-evident properties like seals, safety buttons or secure plastic wrap that lets customers know if the product has been opened.

Maintaining Quality

If you'll closely look at the products in the market today, almost all of it are carefully sealed. There are some products that has a sticker label stating “Warranty Void If Seal Is Broken.” This goes to show that even businesses take care of their products by minimizing liabilities, so they created seals, markings, so no one can tamper on their products.

Tampering with products is not only dangerous, but it can also affect the item's quality. A damaged product is useless on the store shelves and contributes to lost dollars and time in the long run.

Innovating Tamper-proof Packaging

And while tamper evidence is meant to protect customers and products, some packaging features tamper-evident properties that make the package too difficult to open even after purchase. The traditional clamshell, for example, is well-known for being nearly impossible to open – forcing consumers to use sharp tools and knives to reach the product. This makes the package not only frustrating, but also dangerous.

One of the packaging companies in the United States has developed a sustainable solution that retains tamper evidence while eliminating the so-called “wrap rage” that is often associated with hard-to-open packaging: the H-Loc Trapped Blister packaging.

The trapped blister's design utilizes a minimal amount of recycled PET (RPET) to contain the product, which is then surrounded and trapped by recycled corrugated cardboard. The use of cardboard for the majority of the package allows customers to open the package safely and easily, yet the product remains difficult to tamper with while on store shelves, making the H-Loc Trapped Blister an ideal packaging solution across multiple channels.

SOURCES: The Importance of Tamper-Evident Packaging, Heritage Pioneer Corporate Group, http://www.hpcorporategroup.com/the-importance-of-tamper-evident-packaging.html; Tamper-Evident on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamper-evident
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