More Japanese milk manufacturers are switching to cartons with plastic caps amid the coronavirus pandemic as a way to reduce possible infection as consumers no longer need come into contact with the pouring surface when they open the container.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, spreads through small droplets that are expelled when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks, according to the
These droplets can land and stay on objects, infecting people
The new cartons have been welcomed by the elderly,
Some consumers regard the switch as an effective price hike, however, as milk has previously been sold in 1,000-ml cartons. A Megmilk spokeswoman said the content was reduced to keep the price unchanged despite value added to the products by adopting caps.
The new package pursued the added values of "both deliciousness and functionality, such as cleanliness and easiness to pour," she said.
While most cartons sold overseas have plastic caps, about 90 percent of paper cartons for drinks in the Japanese market currently do not, according to the paper manufacturer.
Japanese drink makers kept using machines for old-type cartons, as their capital spending dwindled following the collapse of the asset-inflated bubble economy in the 1990s.
"Cutting costs had been more important than usability," a company official said, adding that the old folding type will be gradually replaced with those with plastic caps.
==Kyodo
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