Ask a New Question
Menu

Meal Delivery Packaging Design

A company is in the planning stage of designing a meal delivery system that packages and delivers cold meals. The company plans to package the meal boxes on Tuesday mornings at 6:00 a.m. and then place them into a van that will deliver them throughout the day. The scheduled route has the last box being delivered by 4:00 p.m. The company promises that the food will still remain fresh even if the customer arrives home to meal packages on their doorstep at 8:00 p.m. For this to be true, the food must remain at or below 4°C during this time period. The temperature in which the box will be delivered is quite warm, with a maximum temperature of 35°C. The company is testing packaging materials to use when delivering the meal boxes. The company would like to have a packaging liner that provides a barrier between the cardboard and food, as well as one or two ice packs to help the food stay cool. The image shows the company's packaging design.

The packaging design consists of a cardboard box with a liner inside it. There is an ice pack to the left of the box, which is labeled '1 or 2 ice packs'. Two stacks of two containers with lids are to the right of the box and are labeled 'cold meals'.

The company is considering three possible materials for the liner: plastic, thin foam with reflective coating on one side, or thick foam. The company has tested each of the designs by packing the meals into the boxes and recording the internal temperatures of the boxes over 24 hours. They recorded the data for both one and two ice packs, as shown in the graphs below. The temperature outside of the boxes is kept at 35°C.

The graph titled 'Packaging with 1 Ice Pack' shows time along the horizontal axis for 24 hours, from 6 A.M. to 6 A.M., in increments of one hour. The vertical axis shows the temperature inside the box in degrees Celsius from 1 to 10, in increments of one degree. A horizontal dashed line labeled 'maximum safe temperature' is shown at four degrees Celsius. Three data lines are shown. A blue line labeled 'plastic liner' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 3 degrees Celsius at 12 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius at 2 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 8 degrees Celsius at 8 P.M., when it returns to a gradual increase ending at above 10 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M. A green line labeled 'thin foam layer with reflective coating' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 2 degrees Celsius at 2 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius at 5 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 9 degrees Celsius at 12 A.M., when it returns to a gradual increase ending at 10 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M. A black line labeled 'thick foam layer' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius at 4 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius a little after 8 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 9.5 degrees Celsius at 3 A.M., when it returns to a gradual increase ending at almost 10 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M.

The graph titled 'Packaging with 2 ice packs' shows time along the horizontal axis for 24 hours, from 6 A.M. to 6 A.M., in increments of one hour. The vertical axis shows the temperature inside the box in degrees Celsius from 1 to 10 in increments of one degree. A horizontal dashed line labeled 'maximum safe temperature' is shown at four degrees Celsius. Three data lines are shown. A blue line labeled 'plastic liner' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius at 1 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius at 5 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 8 degrees Celsius at 1 A.M., when it returns to a gradual increase ending at above 9 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M. A green line labeled 'thin foam layer with reflective coating' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 2 degrees Celsius at 3 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius at 8:30 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 8 degrees Celsius at 4 A.M., when it returns to a gradual increase ending at 9 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M. A black line labeled 'thick foam layer' starts at less than one degree Celsius before 6 A.M. and gradually increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius at 6 P.M., when it begins to increase more steeply. The line reaches 4 degrees Celsius at 11 P.M. The line continues to rise steeply to 7.5 degrees Celsius at 6 A.M.

Constructed Response Question
The table shows the costs of the materials that could be used to package the meals.

Packaging Material Cost for One
Plastic liner $0.20
Thin foam liner with reflective coating $0.50
Thick foam liner $0.70
Ice pack $0.30
Identify the least expensive packaging that could be used to successfully deliver the food in the desired temperature range and provide an explanation.

1 answer

To determine the least expensive packaging option that successfully keeps the food temperature at or below 4°C for the necessary duration, we can analyze the data for both the scenarios of using 1 ice pack and 2 ice packs along with the different liners.

Analysis of Temperature Control with Different Liners

1 Ice Pack:

  • Plastic Liner: Reaches 4°C at 2 PM and exceeds 4°C between 2 PM and 8 PM. Not suitable as it does not keep food below 4°C.
  • Thin Foam with Reflective Coating: Reaches 4°C at 5 PM. Not suitable since it exceeds 4°C after 5 PM.
  • Thick Foam: Reaches 4°C slightly after 8 PM. This is suitable as it allows food to remain below 4°C until 8 PM.

2 Ice Packs:

  • Plastic Liner: Reaches 4°C at 5 PM and exceeds it after 5 PM. Not suitable.
  • Thin Foam with Reflective Coating: Reaches 4°C at 8:30 PM. This is suitable as it allows food to remain below 4°C until 8:30 PM.
  • Thick Foam: Reaches 4°C at 11 PM. This is also suitable.

Cost Analysis

The costs for the materials are as follows:

  • Plastic liner: $0.20
  • Thin foam with reflective coating: $0.50
  • Thick foam liner: $0.70
  • Ice pack: $0.30

Total Costs for Each Packaging Option

  • 1 Ice Pack:

    • Plastic Liner: $0.20 + $0.30 = $0.50 (Not suitable)
    • Thin Foam: $0.50 + $0.30 = $0.80 (Not suitable)
    • Thick Foam: $0.70 + $0.30 = $1.00 (Suitable)

  • 2 Ice Packs:

    • Plastic Liner: $0.20 + 2*($0.30) = $0.80 (Not suitable)
    • Thin Foam: $0.50 + 2*($0.30) = $1.10 (Suitable)
    • Thick Foam: $0.70 + 2*($0.30) = $1.30 (Suitable)

Conclusion

The least expensive option that keeps the food at or below 4°C until at least 8 PM is the Thick Foam liner with 1 ice pack, which costs $1.00. While the Thin Foam liner with 2 ice packs is suitable and costs more ($1.10), the Thick Foam liner with 1 ice pack is both suitable and the most cost-effective solution.

Thus, the thick foam liner with 1 ice pack is the best choice based on temperature control and cost considerations.