Tupperware is not just a brand, it was a cultural phenomenon. Its creator, the American Earl Tupper, took advantage of the leftover polyethylene that the DuPont company used to insulate military weapons cables to reformulate it and create a strong and lightweight material suitable for home consumption. This material made it possible to create containers that sealed under vacuum thanks to their airtight lids, a major advance in food preservation in homes. However, when Tupperware containers were launched on the market in 1946, they were not an immediate success. Although the product was innovative, consumers did not fully understand how the airtight seal worked, prolonging the freshness of food. Their sales only took off when Brownie Wise, a Georgian with a background in sales, had a brilliant idea: to organize demonstration meetings at home. Thus, in the 50s and 60s, Tupperware Parties (meetings Tupperware) have become social events that have transcended the commercial.
Women not only bought airtight containers, but also found a way to earn a living on their own terms. At the time they were relegated to the domestic sphereThese meetings offered them the opportunity to create a community where they could share experiences and advice, in addition to earning some income from the sale of the brand’s products. For many, it was the first experience of economic independence, although always linked to home and family. In a short time, Wise, who would become vice president of the company, managed to create an army of saleswomen that she kept motivated with incentives such as household appliances or trips.
According to Sandra Lozanoculinary historian and co-creator of the podcast Gastromovidas, if these meetings challenge certain stereotypes of the time, they hide a perverse connotation. “Deep down, Tupperware meetings did not succeed in really taking women out of the domestic sphere and catapulting them into public professional life. This is precisely what Betty Friedan denounced in her Feminine Mystique: These activities, although apparently stimulating, were still confine women to traditional roles centered on home and family. In some ways, Tupperware parties reinforced the idea that a woman’s “natural” place was in the home, even if it was as a salesperson. Furthermore, I also believe that the neoliberal use of women’s modes of interpersonal relationships was problematic. Ultimately, the success of the meetings derived economic benefit from women’s ability to create intimacy and emotional connections,” Lozano explains.
Ultimately, Tupperware parties failed to truly move women out of the domestic sphere and into public professional life.
Sandra Lozano
— culinary historian
THE popularization of the microwave In households between the 70s and 80s, the evolution of food consumption accelerated. It allowed to reheat the leftovers of the day’s meals in a few seconds, which seemed a perfect match for polyethylene lunch boxes. However, as women entered the workforce, cooking time became shorter and pre-cooked products that could be bought in stores and supermarkets gained ground. After just a few minutes in the microwave or oven, they were ready to be served.
Although Tupperware attempted to adapt to the new landscape with microwaveable containers, its success began to decline in the 1980s. The expiration of many of its patents allowed the entry of competitors offering airtight containers at lower prices. The loss of its technological advantage and increasing competition eroded its market dominance, initiating the fall of the giant containers.
What started as a revolution at home has now found its way into offices and universities. Today, lunchboxes continue to have an important social aspect, but in a completely different context: that of the world of work. It is common to find groups of people in office and university canteens animatedly discussing the contents of their respective containers during their lunch break. In addition to saving money, eating at work has become an important moment of socialization between colleagues that many refuse to give up, as suggested by the article published in the Spanish Review of Sociology, entitled Eating out in times of crisis: austerity and forms of resistance.
Today, lunchboxes continue to have an important social aspect, but in a completely different context: that of the world of work.
But taking advantage of the container in the office requires certain things. On the one hand, it is necessary for the professional environment to have a space where workers can safely take out and reheat food brought from home. For food technologist Gemma del Caño, in addition to a microwave, the ideal would be for everyone to have their own cutlery and tablecloths and enough ventilated space. “Although for me the most important thing is cross-contamination, that is why it is important that the refrigerator is cleaned frequently and that fresh food, if any, does not come into contact with cooked food,” he emphasizes. Something that, in many cases, does not happen.
On the other hand, bringing the container to the office requires planning menus, choosing ingredients and preparing them, which requires additional physical and mental effort. In today’s society, where the minutes spent cooking are decreasing decade by decade, the choice of pre-cooked or delivery (food at home) is gaining ground. Relieving the mental burden of having to think about the weekly takeout menu at work has made the batch cooking a trend.
Social networks like TikTok and Instagram are full of recipes that promise to solve the problem in different ways, by dedicating a single afternoon to cooking during the entire week. One of the formulas is to make a kind of basic recipe to which later add a legume or a protein that makes it seem like a different preparation. Other videos or blogs publish weekly menus with simple and economical recipes in terms of money and time. One of the most popular searches is “15-minute recipes,” for which Google returns 77 million results, which shows that it pursues the immediate.
Lack of time and changes in work dynamics have changed the relationship with the act of cooking. What was once an occasional luxury is now a habit, due in part to the ease of delivery apps and the availability of more affordable options.
Despite the durability of Tupperware products, concern about the environmental impact of plastics has grown in recent years. While these containers are reusable, they are still made of plastic. The excessive use of this material has come under heavy criticism due to its contribution to pollution, as it takes decades to degrade, which has motivated many consumers to look for more sustainable alternatives, such as glass, stainless steel or bamboo containers.
Plastic containers also raise concerns about their impact on health. With prolonged use, these containers erode and there is a risk that microplastics will end up mixing with food. In addition, experts advise against heating plastics containing food in the microwave because the heat can release compounds such as bisphenol A that are toxic to the body.
It is no coincidence that, while Tupperware languishes, data on how and how much we cook reveals a worrying trend: we cook less. In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the consumption of prepared foods and the tendency to order food at home in Spain, while the time spent cooking at home has decreased. According to the report Time of request According to the consultancy Kantar World Panel, purchases of prepared meals increased by 5.8% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Lack of time and changes in work dynamics have changed the relationship with the act of cooking. What was once an occasional luxury is now a habit, due in part to the ease of delivery apps and the availability of more affordable options.
The core of food has left home
This has led to the emergence of companies offering prepared meals in individual portions that arrive directly in the refrigerator. a kind of container version delivery. Some operate on a weekly subscription basis and offer varied menus prepared by professional chefs, which are a solution for those who do not have the time or knowledge in the kitchen. Javier Sinde tells this media that he started ordering from Wetaca during the pandemic. His job, related to healthcare, prevented him from taking the time to prepare food. “It was a period of very hard work where I did not have time to cook and the situation did not invite me to do a lot of shopping either. In general, I like the food that arrives, although for me, since I do a lot of sports, the portions were a little small,” explains Sinde, who acknowledges that today, despite working remotely, he prefers to dedicate his time to other tasks.
Supermarkets have also seen a niche and in recent years have opened catering areas within their establishments. One of the latest to join is Mercadona, which has installed workshops in its stores where they are prepared and sold. portions of paellapotato omelette and fideuá, among other dishes. In addition, this supermarket chain has begun to set up rooms in some of its stores equipped with microwaves, cutlery and tables where these products can be heated and consumed. Another sign that most of the food has moved out of the home.
