Breakthrough products and packaging require years of technological trial and error before they burst on the scene
Innovations in processing take decades of research and testing, so it's a major event when a process like ultra high pressure (UHP) achieves a commercial breakthrough. Long timelines also are at play in packaging changes. Hormel Foods' all-plastic retortable container may only elicit a "That's nice" response from consumers, but more than a decade of research and development went into the microwavable cup before it landed on a grocery shelf.