Friday, February 23, 2007

Update: I think I can, I think I can...

I finally got a reply from my letter to Seneca Foods. I'm not very satisfied with it; it seems there's some confusion regarding to whom it should be addressed--I sent my e-mail to consumer_affairs@senecafoods.com, so I'm a bit confused by the response:

Thank you for your comments on the vegetable cans. Seneca Foods makes their own cans. Your comments will be forwarded to the correct department. Seneca Foods sold the Juice Division in Dec. 1998.

Seneca Foods Consumer Affairs


Anyway...at least my voice was heard....

I'll try to keep everyone posted.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Open Letter to Seneca Foods

To Whom It May Concern:

First of all, let me congratulate Seneca Foods Corporation for your success in growing your company from a simple, niche provider of Concord grape juice into an independent, publicly traded food processing company over your 50+ years of existence. Such growth does not occur without the ability to notice deficiencies in your operation and improve where others fail to do so; however, I would like to point out an area where I think there is room for improvement--namely, the packaging of your Stokely's brand "Cut Green Beans".

I've just returned from my local Wal-Mart with five cans of this product and have come to the conclusion--after literally minutes of trying and dozens of attempts--that there is simply no way to stack these cans on top of one another. Since I live in an apartment with relatively little shelf space, the ability to make stacks of height greater than one is one of life's small, taken-for-granted pleasures that make my otherwise chaotic life seem somewhat ordered.

This outcome is surprising, as it seems in most all other areas of life the providers of products I use every day seem to have discovered a way to bevel the bottom of their cans such that each nestles snugly into the top of the can below it. Not to draw unfair comparisons, but I can stack cans of Campbell's soup well over six cans high with alarming stability.

I am a cost-conscious consumer, and I admit that I first found your "Cut Green Beans" when I noticed the value of your product was superior--your beans seemed as green and well-cut as other products but at a lower price. However, I am seriously wrestling with the idea of moving to a top-shelf green bean if it saves me time and emotional frustration when putting my groceries away. There are some things in life that are simply worth the extra expense.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I trust this feedback will be taken into account in future packaging decisions, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

(et cetera)