Uneeda Biscuit Explained

Uneeda Biscuit
Currentowner:Nabisco
Introduced:1890s
Discontinued:2009

Uneeda Biscuit was a brand of soda cracker created by the National Biscuit Company.[1] The brand was discontinued in 2009.

History

Uneeda Biscuit were introduced in the 1890s as a product of the National Biscuit Company. In those days, crackers were packaged, shipped, and stored in, and sold directly from, large cracker barrels, where they were exposed to air and went stale relatively quickly. Uneeda biscuits were lighter, flakier, and stayed crisper longer due to their packaging.[2] In 1896, National Biscuit Company spent $1 million in a branding campaign to compete with Cracker Jack, a competitor of Uneeda Biscuits. The packaging featured a boy in a raincoat and has been considered one of the original consumer packaging concepts that did not rely on identity recognition.[3] The boy in the raincoat signified the way the packaging kept moisture out of the product by using interfolded wax paper and cardboard.[2]

In 1902, a factory was built in Shreveport, Louisiana to manufacture Uneeda. At the time, it was the tallest privately owned building in the city.[4]

The Uneeda brand was discontinued by Nabisco in 2009.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Buchanan . Charles . Fading Ads of Birmingham . 20 November 2012 . Arcadia . 9781614237600 . 11 April 2024.
  2. News: Vintage Ads: Uneeda Biscuit Takes Crackers Out of the Barrel . 11 April 2024 . Saturday Evening Post . 16 February 2018.
  3. Book: The Art and Science of Packaging . 28 January 2021 . Bright Media . 11 April 2024.
  4. News: Boucher . Makenzie . Shreveport historic downtown building gets a new lease on life . 11 April 2024 . Shreveport Times . 7 October 2023.
  5. Book: Packard . Jennifer . A Taste of Broadway . 2017 . Rowman & Littlefield . 9781442267329 . 11 April 2024.