Why Some Candy Wrappers Are Defective: The 0.3% Industry Standard Explained

Have you ever opened a carton of candy and found a few pieces with broken wrappers — or worse, an empty wrapper with no candy inside? It is a common question we hear from buyers, and the answer is usually the same: the issue appears at the very beginning or the very end of a packing run.

Why the Defect Happens

Modern candy packing machines feed a roll of film, form it around each piece, seal it and cut it — all in a continuous high-speed motion. When the machine starts, the film feed, the sealing temperature and the cutting timing need a few seconds to reach a stable state. During those seconds, the seal may be incomplete or the wrapper may be cut before it is fully sealed, producing a broken or empty wrapper. The same occurs when the machine stops at the end of a run.

Several factors influence how often this occurs:

• Machine start and stop frequency — every restart creates a short unstable window.
• Packing speed — higher speeds reduce the margin for sealing errors.
• Sealing temperature — if the temperature is slightly low, seals may not close completely.
• Product size — small candies have a proportionally higher chance of a defective wrap, because the wrapper area is smaller and the tolerance is tighter.
• Film quality — the thickness and print quality of the packaging film affect sealing consistency.

The 3‰ Industry Benchmark

No packaging process is perfect, and the food industry accepts a small rate of packaging defects. The commonly used benchmark is 3 per thousand (3‰, equal to 0.3%) — meaning that for every 1,000 pieces packed, up to 3 may have a wrapper issue. As long as the defect rate stays below this level, the batch is considered within the acceptable quality range. For small candies, the rate may run slightly higher due to the tighter tolerances mentioned above, and this is usually agreed with the buyer in advance.

How We Control the Defect Rate

• Warm-up verification: each packing machine runs a short trial run after start-up, and only output from the stable phase goes into the order.
• Online detection: modern lines are equipped with sensors and vision systems that flag abnormal wrappers in real time and eject them automatically.
• End-of-line sampling: QC staff take random samples during packing, constantly checking the defect rate against the 0.3% benchmark.
• Re-inspection before loading: the pre-loading inspection described in our order-loading article catches any remaining issues before the goods ship.

What This Means for Buyers

A few defective wrappers in a large shipment do not affect the quality of the candy inside and are not grounds for a claim, as long as the batch stays within the agreed benchmark. What matters is that the supplier has a system to keep the rate low — and the honesty to report it. At Kason Candy, we are open about our benchmark and provide inspection records with every order.

If you have questions about packaging standards for your next candy order, contact us — we are happy to discuss the details.