The Surprising History Behind Modern Snack Packaging
We supply packaging machinery to leading snack producers across the world, but few people realise how far snack packaging has come. Early efforts to preserve the freshness of crisps grew into a global field that defines how snacks move from factory to shelf. Every material choice and seal carries ideas refined over nearly a century of experimentation.
The bag that turned crisps into a travel product
In 1926, Laura Scudder changed the future of snacks from her small business in Monterey Park, California. She asked her staff to hand-iron wax paper sheets into small bags, fill them with crisps and seal the top with heat. Until then, crisps were sold loose in tins or scooped from barrels, which left them exposed to air and moisture. Scudder’s idea created the first sealed crisp bag, extending freshness and giving people a portable snack for the first time. She also began printing a “freshness date” on every pack, an early forerunner of today’s use-by system. The simple concept of sealing air and flavour inside became a foundation for the entire snack industry, and her wax paper bags remained a standard until plastic films took over decades later.
Clear wrap lights up the shelf
Before snacks gleamed under bright shop lights, food was hidden in opaque paper or tins. That changed when Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger invented cellophane in 1908, a clear cellulose film originally designed to protect tablecloths. DuPont brought it into commercial use in the United States in the 1920s and developed a moisture-resistant version in 1927. Within three years, food companies were using cellophane across their product lines, and sales tripled between 1928 and 1930. For the first time, shoppers could see exactly what they were buying. Cellophane kept moisture out while holding aromas in, transforming the appearance of packaged food on shop shelves. The transparent window that is now a design choice on many snack packs began as a chemistry experiment more than a century ago.
A tube that stacks a crisp
In 1966, Procter & Gamble scientist Fredric J. Baur designed one of the most distinctive snack packages in the world. He created a tubular can that could hold uniformly shaped crisps, keeping them intact through transport and storage. The concept took years of trial and engineering before the first cans appeared in shops in 1971. Inside, each crisp rested on the next with air cushioning and minimal breakage, creating the signature stack still recognised everywhere. The can combined cardboard, metal and foil layers for an exceptional oxygen and light barrier. It also used space more efficiently than traditional bags, a key factor in logistics and merchandising. Baur was so proud of his design that part of his ashes was later interred in a Pringles can, sealing his connection to an idea that changed snack packaging forever.
Stand-up pouches change the shelf
In 1963, French engineer Louis Doyen developed a new way to give flexible film a base. His “doypack” stood upright, making soft packaging behave like a rigid container. This simple engineering shift gave brands a larger display area and easier handling. As laminate technology improved, stand-up pouches became stronger, resealable and capable of holding a wide range of products. The first zipper seals appeared in consumer packaging in the late 1960s, and by the 1980s resealable pouches were standard for products ranging from nuts to chocolate. The stand-up pouch offered lower material use, lighter weight for transport and better shelf appeal than tins or jars. Today it dominates many snack aisles, combining visual impact with efficient production and environmental advantages over rigid plastics.
Barcodes give packs a voice
On 26 June 1974, a cashier at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio scanned a ten-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum. The single beep that followed marked a new era for retail packaging. The barcode gave each product a digital identity, connecting packaging with store systems that managed data from checkout to supply chain. Within a decade, supermarkets around the world had adopted the system. Each code stored a twelve-digit number, connecting the pack in a customer’s hand to a database of information. Today, more than a billion items are scanned daily. The next generation of codes is already on the way. Retailers plan to make 2D codes standard by 2027, providing a single scan point for product information and sustainability tracking. The first barcode scan opened the way for a universal language of packaging, now printed on products across the world.
The hidden science inside a snack pack
Behind the colourful designs lies complex science. Snack packaging manages the conditions around the product to keep flavour and texture stable over time. Modified atmosphere packaging, introduced in the 1970s, removes oxygen and replaces it with inert gases such as nitrogen. This slows oxidation and prevents delicate crisps from crushing under atmospheric pressure. Water activity, measured as aw, is equally important. Crisps lose their snap when aw rises above about 0.4, so maintaining low moisture is essential. Materials are carefully chosen to keep this balance. Metallised PET films, aluminium laminates and oriented polypropylene each provide different levels of protection and flexibility. Packaging design balances mechanical performance with material protection and production efficiency, helping snacks stay stable through long journeys and changing climates.
Regulation shapes today’s pack choices
The past few years have seen major changes in how packaging materials are taxed and certified. In the United Kingdom, the Plastic Packaging Tax began in April 2022 at £200 per tonne for plastic with less than 30 percent recycled content. This rate has increased annually, reaching £223.69 in 2025. In the European Union, the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation came into force in early 2025 and will apply fully from August 2026. It introduces unified guidance on material recovery and on-pack information for consumers and industry alike. The new rules are influencing material selection across packaging lines. Manufacturers are testing new laminates and lighter structures that balance performance with lower environmental impact.
Where it all leads today
From wax paper to 2D codes, snack packaging has developed through a century of innovation. Every stage in the development of snack packaging focused on preserving freshness and ensuring products could travel securely. The technology that began with hand-sealed bags has grown into automated systems capable of handling thousands of packs per hour with precision and care. At Jacob White Packaging, we design and build machinery that helps leading snack producers across the world deliver consistent, efficient packaging that meets today’s regulatory, environmental and quality demands. The thinking that drove those first sealed bags still influences how we engineer packaging lines today, built around protection and reliability.
