User blog post of the week: Feb. 8, 2010

The following is an excerpt from A-D reporter Ashley Gebb's blog "Green Scene" at agebb.freedomblogging.com:

When everyone else is trying to reduce their environmental impact...

The ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. has unveiled a new ketchup packet that scraps the former squeeze method and replaces it with a plastic tub one can dip into to eliminate the mess, size and frustration that have long been associated with the to-go condiment.

"The packet has long been the bane of our consumers," said Dave Ciesinski, vice president of Heinz Ketchup. "The biggest complaint is there is no way to dip and eat it on-the-go."

So now the packet will be the bane of the environment.

I'd bet truckloads of french fries that the new packet, which holds three times as much ketchup as its predecessor, takes far more energy to make and occupies up far more landfill space than even a 3-packet equivalent. And even if the plastic component is recyclable, how many fast-food-aficionados do you know that really care about making sure they do what they can to minimize their environmental impact?