Packaging material costs for U.S. produced farm foods were $8.8 billion for 1970. This was nearly 9 percent of the money consumers paid for these foods. Average annual growth rate in packaging material costs has been over 5 percent since 1958 versus about 4 ½ percent for all food marketing costs. Price increases for packaging materials were relatively steady from 1958 to 1969, averaging about 1 percent annually, but they increased dramatically from 1969 to 1970, some as much as 8 ½ percent. Paper products account for 42 percent of food packaging material costs; metal containers, 22 percent and glass containers 9 percent.