We all need to eat, and the promotional products industry has long taken notice. The hallmark of an outstanding promotional product selection is a high degree of usability, rather than an item that a recipient won’t really put to much use. If there aren’t a lot of things more functional than what we eat does this mean food products represent a perfect promotional item?

To come to an honest answer to the question, we need to examine what our options are first. Searches for "food" on a major promotional products company’s website will likely result in thousands of different results. The most striking aspect of the search results you’ll find will probably be that most of those foods are going to be of the "candy" variety: mints, chocolates, toffee and other flavored confectionary items.

It might not be completely clear how candy could be used as a promotional product. Except for some very specific cases, it isn’t possible to stamp your company name on each individual mint or chocolate. The promotion, when it comes to candy, is all about the packaging it comes in. Mints can come in customizable plastic containers or tin containers, and some manufacturers have a variety of container shapes to pick from. Chocolates and other candy are often individually wrapped, with printable wrappers, will have a bigger box reserved for printing.

Microwaveable popcorn, peanuts and even crackers are out there as well, bringing snacks in roughly second. These promotional products are all about the packaging, just like candy. Packaging is extended further, quite often. Sports and snacks are made for one another, for example, and you’ll find many promotional "combo" packs. For example, a bucket with peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and a baseball bat.

A close third, just about equal in quantity with snacks, are beverage-style promotional products primarily coffees and teas. You’ll even find promotional wines and champagnes being sold with printable labels or even surfaces intended for etching. With drinks more than the other foods, a lot of the promotion happens on related "accessory" items like coffee mugs and napkins. The things that food can be served in are all readily printable or etchable: plates, wine glasses, beer steins, the aforementioned coffee mugs, and even ice buckets.

We’ve established how food can qualify as a promotional product and that there is a virtually endless selection to pick from. The downside of food that should be obvious is that it is temporary; when it’s eaten it is gone. An important aspect of promotional items is that they stick around a while, and that a recipient of a promotional product will get exposed to the logo or company name on it regularly. With the exception of candy or snacks that come in large quantities, whose packaging will be visible until its contents are completely consumed, is seems like food fails this litmus at first glance.

Any chef will tell you that their work doesn’t simply end when a diner consumes the last morsels. Long lasting impressions are fast-tracked by tastes and smells thanks to the way we’re wired. Particularly if they’re of food. Provided you use a promotional food item in the right environment, as chefs also know that the décor is key, you have potential to create a more meaningful connection with your customers or clients than any desktop accessory would create. You can always get or make more food, too.

All kinds of food items and the variety of accessories are out there many making a powerful combination; a kind of promotional double-whammy that mustn’t be ignored. If you have an event coming up that you might want to incorporate these promotional products into, don’t hesitate to do so!