Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

$10M Question: Twist Tie or Plastic Clip?

Businessweek looks at obscure but high-stakes fight

By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 14, 2013 2:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – It's the $10 million question you've never cared to ask: What's the best way to secure a bag of bread? In one corner, the humble twist-tie—simple but more labor-intensive. In the other, plastic clips—less work but more room for error. You may not even notice which tiny piece of equipment is safeguarding your loaf, but in the baking industry, it's a debate that has been raging for more than 50 years, and a market that Businessweek estimates to be worth $10.6 million annually.

Don't expect a winner anytime soon. “We feel, based on surveys we’ve done, that the twist-tie is consumer-preferred, but of course the clip people will tell you the same thing about their product,” says a marketing rep for a twist-tie maker. “I think the two methods will always co-exist.” Click for the full piece.

It's twist-ties against plastic clips in the battle for the bakery aisle.
It's twist-ties against plastic clips in the battle for the bakery aisle.   (Photo: Business Wire)
New Wonder(R) Smartwhite is a new bread with the taste and soft texture of white bread but with the fiber of 100% whole wheat bread.  (PRNewsFoto/Wonder
New Wonder(R) Smartwhite is a new bread with the taste and soft texture of white bread but with the fiber of 100% whole wheat bread. (PRNewsFoto/Wonder   (R) Bread)
Sara Lee bread products line the shelves at a grocery story, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Chicago. Sara Lee Corp. narrowed its loss in the fiscal fourth-quarter but gave a weak outlook for the year, sending shares of the food maker plunging in trading Wednesday.
Sara Lee bread products line the shelves at a grocery story, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Chicago. Sara Lee Corp. narrowed its loss in the fiscal fourth-quarter but gave a weak outlook for the year, sending...   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Sara Lee bread products line the shelves at a grocery story, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 in Chicago. Sara Lee Corp. narrowed its loss in the fiscal fourth-quarter but gave a weak outlook for the year, sending shares of the food maker plunging in trading Wednesday.
Sara Lee bread products line the shelves at a grocery story, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 in Chicago. Sara Lee Corp. narrowed its loss in the fiscal fourth-quarter but gave a weak outlook for the year, sending...   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
23%
20%
1%
4%
3%
49%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 29 comments
HANKHILL
Mar 15, 2013 3:32 PM CDT
clip for sure!!!!!!!
Tology
Mar 15, 2013 9:10 AM CDT
I've never bought anything with a badly closed bag with a twist-tie, I can't say the same for the plastic clip.
mommy_of_samhain
Mar 15, 2013 3:38 AM CDT
Hmmmm.  I suppose I will put my two cents in.  I have a whole bowl of reusable "chip clips" in different sizes.  I twist the bag and tightly clip it with one of those clips. I do the same with crackers.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne