# Things done to products to meet public expectations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089 "2011-06-02T15:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/101 "2011-06-06T15:09:55Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Very interesting replies! I thought food coloring would play a part, but I had no idea how much. Come to think of it: > -same for egg yolk, a darker yolk is preferred That depends on the food given - companies sell little colour palettes so the owner of the chicken industry can decide exactly on the right shade. This leads me to another perception: in some instances, industry-raised eggs are sprinkled with thin mist in a seperate step to fool the customer into thinking these eggs are organic. > [@](#): > > -salmon is fed food to change its meat color: “Farm-raised salmon are fed the carotenoids astaxanthin and canthaxanthin to match their flesh color to wild salmon.” It should be noted that carotenoids are naturally occuring colourings of carrots. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/102 "2011-06-06T16:02:12Z")
> [@Spectralist](#): > > Depends on the environment that the oranges are grown in, I believe. Green skinned oranges are often exposed to a gas during storage/shipping, though I can’t remember which one, to help make them turn orange. Don’t know if this applies to oranges also, but some fruit like bananas is picked while “green” = unripe and hard, transported and ripened in a special storehouse with ethylen - which is the same gas that the plants naturally produce to ripen the fruits on their own, which is why it’s allowed by the regulation and not listed. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/103 "2011-06-06T16:05:22Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I didn’t notice if this was mentioned, but bleaching paper products because white imparts ‘cleanliness’ to consumers. I still think its dumb that toilet paper and coffee filters\* aren’t left brown, the same way commercial paper towels are. Why bother introducing an environmentally hazardous chemical to an already nasty process for nothing more than consumer perception? Unbleached paper is not brown, but grey - that is, if it’s made from recycled paper. Our public offices have long ago switched to only recycled grey paper for their official letters, and it works. It only matters for colour printing, where white background helps with true perception, or for bad eyesight and weak ink - if the paper is grey, the ink needs to be strong black for contrast. What is a good idea, though, is removing the lignin to make the paper wood-free if you are using wood in the first place, because lignin makes yellowing possible. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/104 "2011-06-06T16:08:58Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Another thing that exists pretty much only because the public expects it: aircraft passenger windows. Obviously the cockpit windows are necessary, but there is no real reason to have passenger windows other than because passengers expect them to be there \*\* (for some reason, people don’t seem to like being in a windowless cylinder for hours on end?)\*\* > (Bolding mine) This. It’s psychological benefical to have windows to look out of. Enough people are afraid of flying already; if windows were removed, all the claustrophobic people would also stop flying. I do wonder if psychologists have looked at the effect of simulated windows, though : use solid metal and put a little screen that shows pictures of the ground/ clouds instead of a plexiglas window. If TV screens become more cheaper, this might be a better option, if it has the same psychological effect. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/105 "2011-06-06T16:11:28Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Related to that, there is a model of anesthesia machine made by Draeger that, due to it’s design, doesn’t have that stereotypical “Darth Vader” breathing sounds like other anesthesia machines and vents have. > > Anesthesiologists were complaining that the machine was broken because they couldn’t hear it, so they redesigned it and added a small circuit board and speaker to emulate that sound in time with the settings on the machine. I don’t know if this counts. Psychological studies have shown that feedback on their actions is very very important for humans to avoid mistakes. So whether it’s clicks from a virtual keyboard, a dial tone for an open line, a hiss for transmitted data or a simulated noise, it’s information humans need to be assured that things are working as they should. (And a simulated noise can still be quieter than a mechanic hissing sound). ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/106 "2011-06-06T16:57:41Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > … Johnson & Johnson … spent a fortune developing an “ouchless” antiseptic salve for cuts. However, the product bombed, because the public equated stinging with “it’s working”. So they ended up putting a few drops of alcohol in the mixture to make the “ouchless” salve cause a tiny stinging sensation. Interesting, but that must be a while ago now? For example, Neosporin and Sayman Salve are modern brands that don’t sting at all, and they’re doing well enough. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/107 "2011-06-06T17:00:13Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Since the invention of plastics? The [thermal conductivities](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html)of plastics are pretty much always lower than those of glass; less heat conducted means better insulation. Glass also has lower [heat capacities](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_heat_capacity), meaning less energy is needed to raise it’s temperature one degree - also making plastics better insulators. Thanks, I didn’t know that. Learn something new every day. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/108 "2011-06-06T17:38:02Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > But if the glass bottles have an established re-use system and the plastic bottles are throwaway, the calculation looks different. It also depends on how far the bottles are transported. You must live outside of the US. I know of no glass beer bottles in the US that are re-used, they are all thrown away. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/109 "2011-06-06T18:14:22Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > I don’t know if this counts. Psychological studies have shown that feedback on their actions is very very important for humans to avoid mistakes. But they were already getting feedback. The screen shows everything they would need to know. All the fake sound does is go in time to the inspiration and expiration, so in effect it tells them that the machine was on, and if they pay enough attention, what the breath rate is. Or…they could just look at the number on the screen under where it says “breath rate.” The fake sound didn’t give any additional information that wasn’t already available, and would actually require more effort to gain what information it does give, and with less reliability. In the old days when machines didn’t have built in sensors, yes, looking at and hearing the bellows was an important way for the doctor to know that gas was still being delivered to the patient, but the machines now monitor themselves and if it breaks, it will let you know. And the older doctors were the ones more likely to complain about the lack of noises. There do exist plenty of versions without the fake sounds, especially in Europe, and they’re doing just fine over there. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/110 "2011-06-06T18:54:00Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Since the invention of plastics? The [thermal conductivities](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html)of plastics are pretty much always lower than those of glass; less heat conducted means better insulation. Glass also has lower [heat capacities](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_heat_capacity), meaning less energy is needed to raise it’s temperature one degree - also making plastics better insulators. Yes buttt… A plastic bottle typically has plastic that is paper thin. A glass bottle has glass that is at least several times thicker. Without doing some calculations, I suspect the significant extra thickness of the glass over plastic overides the “betterness” of the plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/111 "2011-06-06T18:55:34Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > A few years ago, food companies were producing tomato ketchup(catsup?) in colors such as blue or green instead of the traditional red. I didn’t think much of it and apparently no one else did either. I only see red ketchup for sale nowadays. Well, that’s more a case of eliminating something that is unexpected, rather than adding something that is expected - since tomatoes (and therefore ketchup) is naturally red. If the ketchupification caused the tomatoes to turn blue - but the manufacturer added red food coloring to make it look red again - then that would be more in line with the thread’s purpose, I think. I will say, we tried the green ketchup precisely once - Burger King had packets of it when there was a Shrek movie in the theatres. It tasted exactly like Heinz’s regular stuff but it looked truly nauseating. A friend of mine once had a bottle of the green stuff, and used it to make meatloaf. Nobody would eat the resultant disgusting looking slop (she tried it and said it tasted fine). ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/112 "2011-06-06T19:32:40Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You must live outside of the US. I know of no glass beer bottles in the US that are re-used, they are all thrown away. Yes, as I have mentioned several times, in Germany there is a standardized glass bottle re-use system. For distances up to 100 km, the total enviromental balance is better because of raw materials; for longer distances, the added fuel for the bigger weight is negative; but you are supposed to drink local water/ milk/ beer rather than have this stuff carried around half of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/113 "2011-06-06T22:47:00Z")
> [@SunSandSuffering](#): > > Saw _green_ ketchup on sale in the UK supermarkets about 5 years ago, not seen it recently. Tried some and it was really hard to overcome the powerful urge to push the food away. Purple ketchup was sold here in Minnesota when the Mn Vikings (team colors: purple & gold) were contenders in NFL post-season Championship games. That hasn’t happened for a while now. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/114 "2011-06-07T13:15:47Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Yes buttt… > > A plastic bottle typically has plastic that is paper thin. A glass bottle has glass that is at least several times thicker. > > Without doing some calculations, I suspect the significant extra thickness of the glass over plastic overides the “betterness” of the plastic. The plastic beer bottles that I’ve seen are made of a much thicker and more rigid plastic than soda (pop) bottles. (But they still poured it into a plastic cup and kept the bottle. This was at CitiField in New York.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/115 "2011-06-07T13:47:06Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > ISoaps, detergents and other cleaners have foaming agents added because people think foam=clean, but it doesn’t do anything. I disagree, partially. Foam is feedback. It lets the user know where the detergent is and when there is no detergent left to clean with. It’s misunderstood, the foaming agent is not necessarily the cleaning agent, and more foam doesn’t mean more clean, but it does serve a purpose. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/116 "2011-06-07T15:12:33Z")
> [@Baron\_Skinley\_Von\_Clipper](#): > > I’ve been to Cheddar in Somerset UK and bought cheese there, it was pale yellow. > I don’t think I’ve ever seen orange cheddar cheese, or maybe I have but just assumed it’s not cheddar because it’s orange. Cheddar in Cheddar is indeed not orange. Nor is a Double Gloucester in Gloucester. Gruyere in Gruyere is a wonderful translucent gold. I did see some orange cheese the other day. It was called “American”… I think I’ll avoid that place. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/117 "2011-06-07T20:16:03Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You must live outside of the US. I know of no glass beer bottles in the US that are re-used, they are all thrown away. Don’t most people recycle? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/118 "2011-06-07T20:27:10Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > Don’t most people recycle? Most recycling programs (at least in this area) collect mixed glass, all colors, and everything from soda bottles, beer bottles, broken windows, even burned-out light bulbs. Separating out the beer bottles, sorting by color, washing them, and refilling them is not cost effective. So the collected glass is melted, and turned into new glass things. That still saves on energy compared to producing brand new glass. So while the collected glass is not **reused** , it is **recycled** , and not turned into waste. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/119 "2011-06-07T21:10:18Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You must live outside of the US. I know of no glass beer bottles in the US that are re-used, they are all thrown away. The returnable beer bottle is almost extinct in the US but not quite. Here in Pennsylvania, most beer is sold at “distributors” that sell only by the case (this is required by law). Two breweries in Pennsylvania – Straub and Yuengling – still sell beer in returnable bottles, but Yuengling is planning to discontinue the practice later this year, and Straub may follow suit if it doesn’t get back a whole lot of empties soon. Story [here.](http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/the-extinction-of-returnable-beer-bottles/) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/120 "2011-06-07T21:53:39Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Separating out the beer bottles, sorting by color, washing them, and refilling them is not cost effective. It’s not? Somebody had better tell Ontario’s Beer Stores. From their [web site](http://www.thebeerstore.ca/about-us/environmental-leadership): > [@](#): > > We take back all the bottles… All collected materials are either **reused** or recycled. Emphasis added. From experience working at the Beer Store in my younger days, I can assure you that bottles are indeed sorted, returned to the brewer, washed, and refilled. Admittedly, that’s for bottles from Ontario breweries; imports (for example, Corona, Samuel Adams, or Heineken) are sorted by colour and sent for recycling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089.md?page=7)