As it is today, backpacking food packaging is pretty wasteful. It’s always packaged in plastic or transmetalic pouches, and once they are opened rarely can they be resealed. This leaves packers forced to carry around useless, dirty bags for an extended period of time.
My packaging solution is a simple one. The freeze-dried food is now packaged in biodegradable material, which allows packers to bury the paper on the side of the trail rather than carry it around with them. To ensure freshness, the meals would be grouped into daily meal sets and wrapped in a resealable plastic bags, which could be used for carrying supplies or trash.
Aside from the material, the way information was arranged on the package was problematic. Like many food products, facts about the nutritional content was type heavy and abstruse. With the help of a dietitian I redesigned the nutrition table, making the information less abstract and more concrete.
Calories, along with carbs protein and fat are the most important nutrients to those in survival situations. That information was moved to the top of the table, and a daily value percentage bar was added to help users visualize the content better. I also redesigned the cooking instructions, making them into graphics and allowing them to be more intuitive.
