This is an excerpt from the session "Meet the Press: CPG Perspective on Packaging Trends" that Packaging Digest directed at Pack Expo 2010.

PD: When you're an early adopter or experimenting with packaging, there are always some risks involved. What lessons have you learned from packaging misfires?

Michael Okoroafor, vp packaging, H.J. Heinz: I learned one a long time ago with the aluminum bar. It was too expensive. If you don't start with the proposition of what the consumer feels they can pay for this, you're dead in the water. So start on that. Talk to the consumer and find out what is the cost range. That's one experience I learned the hard way. It didn't go anywhere, because it was too expensive.

Making one mistake, nothing happens. But you don't want to make too many of them. You'd be dead before you know it. (laughs)

Sarah Grare, director, packaging innovation, Stryker Orthopaedics: When you get to cost reduction, don't let your operations team tell you that they have to make a change for cost savings. Make sure it's not going to impact your bottom line.

Okoroafor: See, there are only two of us who have ever failed. (laughs) (Editor's note: There were seven packaging executives on the panel but only Mike and Sarah spoke up.)

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