storage practices. You will have the opportunity to test existing methods and those of your own creation. Taking it to the next level, you will also compare the costs associated with good versus better packaging options.

Step 1: Choose Your Weapons

Select two or three different food items that you will study. Try to choose foods with different characteristics. For instance, if you choose crackers as one (dry, salty, and made of grain), your second choice should not be cereal. Instead, bologna (moist and almost made from meat), milk (liquid cow juice), apple sauce (moist and fruity) would provide the necessary variety.

Step 2: Know Thy Enemy

It would be silly to start from scratch when companies have been packaging foods for generations. Get out and research how your target foods are typically packaged. Is there an industry standard that is followed, or are there several common packaging options? Check the posted expiration dates on a number of packages to see about how long the food lasts in each type of packaging. (Hint - most stores put their newest goods at the back of the shelf, following the "first in, first out" rule. See if you can guess why they do this.)

Step 3: Battle Plans

Choose several different packaging configurations to investigate for each food you'll be testing. You can try to simulate the commercial packaging for one. You'll likely have to be creative. Most people won't have the necessary equipment to heat seal various plastics. A cracker box with plastic liner could be simulated with a shoe box and a sealable food storage bag, for example. On top of mimicking the commercial storage solution, try a few of your own. If you have access to canning supplies or mason jars, you might give either a try. You can look at plastic containers, plastic wrap, wax paper, newspaper, sealed bank vaults, and any combination that you may choose to put together. As a control study, remember to also have a No Packaging sample, so that you can observe whether the other packaging arrangements have had any effect. Besides the container, also consider the environment. Will the item be stored at room temperature? In the refrigerator? Outside (where temperature fluctuates)? In the light or in the dark? In a humid place or a dry place? While you don't need to try all options, it is important that you record those that you do. Try to choose those conditions that best reflect how the food is likely to be stored, to

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