toobfreak
Tungsten/Glass Member
Tarter sauce packets tend to be larger too. It is probably because they need a minimum weight to mass produce the packets and run them through machinery efficiently. Tarter sauce and mayo have a lot of air whipped into them so the packets would be lighter than the other condiments by volume. That is my guess as to why this tends to happen.
No, weight is irrelevant to the machinery. These packets are a strip of foil held in machinery and filled. The size of the packet is determined by two things: need and cost. Mayonnaise is used up faster when you spread it around taking more to get a taste, plus more importantly the fact that the packets are sold by unit cost. Each probably represents 1¢ worth of condiment fill or whatever so they know what to charge retailers who buy the stuff.