Pop-Tarts Just Told Us the Real Reason Why the Pastries Are Sold in 2-Packs

I have to admit, I’ve always had a little bit of a gripe with Pop-Tarts. Don’t get me wrong, the sweetly-filled toaster treats are delicious (Brown Sugar Cinnamon is my favorite), and I grew up relying on them as an easy grab-and-go breakfast. But, something about the Pop-Tarts packaging always irked me: Why are they sold in two-packs?

Recently, I shared my irritation with the Allrecipes team only to find that I’m just about the only Pop-Tart consumer in the marketplace to experience this annoyance. “You don’t just eat both?” was the near-unanimous response in the office.

I know, I know—why would anyone complain about a two-for-one special? But hear me out.

Growing up, I could never eat more than one Pop-Tart at a time (I wasn’t allowed to), and therefore needed to find a new resealable package to hold the other toaster pastry. Not only did this result in an extra single-use package going to waste, but, despite my best efforts, it also left me with a stale second pastry. The leftover Pop-Tart would get exposed to air and would never be as fresh as it originally was.

I also disliked the consumer influence of it all, encouraging customers to eat more than one Pop-Tart when, until recently, the serving size was just one. The "eat more, buy more" cycle didn't sit right with me.

Nevertheless, this wasn't enough to keep me away from the toaster pastries, and I've remained a Pop-Tarts fan to this day. But, I finally decided to get to the bottom of this packaging question. Several Reddit threads had their theories (i.e. because a toaster has two slots), but to really know the truth, I needed to go to the source itself: Pop-Tarts.

So, why does the classic silver wrapper give you a double dose of toaster pastries? Hint: it has nothing to do with encouraging customers to eat more (...or toaster slots).

Why Are Pop-Tarts Wrapped in Twos?

“While Jerry Seinfeld may claim 'one is not enough and three is too many,' in reality, the decision to sell Pop-Tarts in two-packs was made at the brand’s inception 60 years ago and had nothing to do with portions,” the Pop-Tarts brand stated in an email to Allrecipes.

When the first flavors of Pop-Tarts were released in 1964 (strawberry, blueberry, apple currant, and brown sugar cinnamon), the packaging machines were expensive, resulting in hefty up-front costs. So, to be economical about their investments, the company decided to package the product in twos at the start (explained in the book "Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods that Changed the Way We Eat" by Carolyn Wyman).

“To package them singly would have required twice as many machines. Kellogg’s didn’t want to invest in a lot of machines until they knew how it would sell," said Bill Post, who managed the first plant to produce Pop-Tarts.

As Pop-Tarts popped off in the marketplace, shoppers became accustomed to the pair of pastries (and nobody was complaining).

“Pop-Tarts was able to reduce excess packaging and waste by doubling the number of toaster pastries in each packet. By the time Pop-Tarts became a household favorite, fans were already used to the double packages as part of the Pop-Tarts experience,” the brand stated in an email.

So, the decision to double-wrap the toaster treats not only saved the brand money by reducing excess materials, but it also cut down on the amount of waste caused by the product. And still today, we have the iconic twin-packed pastries loved by kids and adults alike.

So, what's the best solution if you’re only interested in one toaster pastry? Share the wealth with a friend, or just give into your brown sugar cinnamon sweet tooth.