What happened to Tropicana after the packaging change?
The story of Tropicana’s new pack in 2009, what happened to its sales, and what to test before printing any pack.
In 2009, Tropicana, the American orange juice brand, changed the pack of its Pure Premium juice, and took the decision back in under two months.
In this issue we read the decision and what happened on the shelf, then what the story reveals about product design decisions.
is the fall in unit sales of Tropicana Pure Premium juice between 1 January and 22 February 2009, a period in which the launch of the new packaging coincided with the decline. The figure alone does not prove the packaging was the only cause.
What changed in Tropicana’s packaging?
The new pack removed the orange and the straw, put a large glass of juice on a white background, and turned the logo vertical, a change designed by the Arnell Group:
A simplified illustration of the elements of the change, not an image of the actual pack.
How did Tropicana lose its familiar look on the shelf?
Consumers said the new packaging looked generic, or like a store-brand juice, and this coincided with a fall in sales:
How long did the new packaging stay on the shelf?
On 23 February 2009, Tropicana announced it would drop the new pack, after it had been on the market for less than two months:
The report estimated the loss in sales over the period at about USD 33 million.
Our reading: a customer may recognise a product by the shape of its packaging before reading it, and the story does not prove that the design alone caused the decline.
What should be tested before printing?
In the Tropicana story the customer saw the new pack before reading a single word on it. Our reading is that you should show your pack design to a number of your customers before printing, and ask them:
- 1. Do they recognise your product among the products on the shelf?
- 2. Can they tell it apart from other stores’ products?
- 3. Do they understand from the picture what is inside the pack?
The requirements of the GCC food label (GSO 9) will get an issue of their own.
Independent picks from shelf news
Maximum limits apply gradually until the end of 2030 to categories of local and imported packaged foods, including bread, sweetened milk drinks and salty snacks, with fines of up to AED 500,000, so it matters if you export there.
Ministry of Health and Prevention, via Emarat Al Youm, 26 October 2026, and Khaleej Times, 6 October 2026Egypt’s processed food exports to the Kingdom reached about USD 475 million in the first nine months of 2026, up 16% from the same period in 2025.
Egyptian Food Export Council, via Hapi Journal, 25 October 2026Flip your competitor’s pack
Ingredients are listed from heaviest to lightest by weight, so compare the first three ingredients on your pack and your closest competitor’s.
What is the hardest decision on your product’s journey to the shelf?
Send your question to editorial@saudifoodtech.sa, and we may dedicate an upcoming issue to it.
Sources
- Bloomberg, Tropicana Pure Premium: sales figures and the reversal of the pack (2 April 2009).
- Tasting Table, the story of the Tropicana pack redesign (8 October 2025).
- NPR, consumers reject the new Tropicana carton (23 February 2009).
- UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, via Emarat Al Youm (26 October 2026) and Khaleej Times (6 October 2026).
- Egyptian Food Export Council, via Hapi Journal (25 October 2026).
- Gulf technical regulation GSO 9/2013, labelling of prepackaged foods.
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