Foiled Again

It was defense conversion, 1940s-style. Faced with a surplus of aluminum after World War II, Reynolds Metals Co. looked for new uses for metal that had gone into military ships and planes. Thus, 50 years ago this month, aluminum foil was born. “Watch mother work miracles!” shouted a 1949 ad that listed such benefits as using foil to bake fish without odor. The accompanying drawing showed mother in a striped dress and apron, ready to work wonders. Reynolds has updated the theme for the 1990s. In current ads, two mothers who are employed by Reynolds as home economists demonstrate the virtues of aluminum foil in corporate test kitchens. To mark its anniversary, Reynolds is donating an original 1947 box to the Smithsonian Institution, which plans to include it in the museum’s domestic-life collection. Today, aluminum foil is used in 98% of America’s kitchens--though much of it isn’t Reynolds Wrap. Lower-cost store brands account for 40% of aluminum foil sales in grocery stores, compared with slightly under 60% for Reynolds, according to Information Resources Inc. The sales-tracking firm said sales of store-brand aluminum foil rose 3% in 1996, while sales of the Reynolds brand grew by less than 1%.