There's A Reason Why Pop-Tarts Are Always In 2-Packs

When it comes to classic American childhood snacks, things like Twinkies and fruit snacks come to mind. There are also Pop-Tarts, jam-filled pastries that you can heat up in your toaster when you want a quick dessert (or in all likelihood, breakfast). You can make tasty homemade Pop-Tarts, but there's nothing like the store-bought variety from the well-loved American company, Kellogg's.

If you're already a store-bought Pop-Tart aficionado, then you know that no matter which of the many flavors of Pop-Tarts you enjoy, these toaster treats always come packaged with two treats in each sleeve. Although this may seem fairly random, this is no accident. Pop-Tarts intentionally packages their snacks in pairs.

This is partly due to the history of Kellogg's breakfast pastries and how the company started making these treats. However, it also has to do with things like psychology and convenience. Plus, there may be some sales motivations behind packaging your snacks in twos that could also be at play.

Pop-Tarts is no spring chicken; the snack has been around since 1964. During the early days of the breakfast snack, there were a lot of costs involved in getting the product off the ground, particularly since the packaging machines used to make the treats were fairly expensive. That was topped off by the fact that the company couldn't be sure whether or not the breakfast snack would take off. To help mitigate some of this risk and to reduce operating costs, the company chose to place two Pop-Tarts in each sleeve, saving waste and limiting the amount of materials (and thus cost) they needed for packaging.

Now, while that may be the original reason for packing the Pop-Tarts this way, over time, things evolved. Since the treats had started out being produced this way, customers came to expect two in each package. To meet these expectations and stay consistent, all while benefiting from lower costs, Kellogg's chose to keep selling the snacks in twin packs.

Beyond cost cutting, Kellogg's may also have some other motivations for packaging their treats this way. For one thing, by putting the treats in two packs, it favors sharing with friends and family members. That makes having a Pop-Tart not just a tasty snack, but a fun experience to share with those you love.

At the same time, when food tastes good (as Pop-Tarts do), it may make you want to eat more of it. That second Pop-Tart in the package might just entice you to treat yourself to a second helping of the snack. Not only does this make you happy, but it also means that you get through the boxes of the treat faster, meaning you may wind up purchasing more in the long run, which ultimately means more earnings for Kellogg's. At the end of the day, there are a number of factors that could be playing into why Pop-Tarts are packaged in twos, but it all started because of the expensive of packaging.