The terms “Tamper-Resistant” (TR) and “Tamper-Evident” (TE) are two terms that are often used to describe the security of a products packaging, but these terms have very different meanings.  Knowing the difference between these terms is important when determining what is best for your product’s packaging.

Let’s Define The Terms:
Tamper-Resistant refers to a feature of the product packaging that is created to resist access to the product.  Tamper-Evident packaging describes a feature that makes unauthorized access to the product easily detectable by the consumer.  The concept of “Tamper-Proof” packaging is not used by regulatory agencies since no packaging design is considered impenetrable.

Who’s at Risk?
Food and drug manufacturers carry the highest percentage of burden, but there is risk in almost all industries when TR or TE packaging is not used.  Other industries have benefitted from implementing features into their packaging to help combat shoplifting, return-fraud, unauthorized repacking of used components in brand name packaging, and even consumers wanting to sample products before buying.

Protect Your Product:
There are many ways that product packaging can be designed to allow for TR or TE features.  Regardless if your products are regulated by the FDA or not, TR and TE features offer brand protection and also increase a brands value when steps are taken to protect the product.

For ways that you can create tamper-resistant or tamper-evident features for your product, contact Brian Pankratz at Mercury Plastics, Inc. (bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com)

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