Anchor Launches 2nd Crisp Food Container

Anchor Packaging has added a second, smaller, version of its successful Crisp Food Container. Employing the same Convection Cross-Flow technology as its predecessor (left), the new container can hold four pieces of chicken, or a variety of other fried-food products.

Until the introduction of the original, patented Anchor Crisp Food Container in 2009, the industry had struggled to balance food quality and food safety. Packaging methods that permitted enough moisture to escape to retain the crispiness and texture of the food also exhausted heat too quickly. This often led to internal temperatures below those required by local health departments.

Now in use in more than 1,600 stores, the original Anchor Crisp Food Container, sized to hold eight pieces of fried chicken, met with widespread success, which in turn prompted many requests from the industry for a similar product in a smaller size. With the current launch, a much wider range of foods can benefit from Anchor’s technology breakthrough.

In either size, the Crisp Food Containers use through-the-closure ventilation, in addition to raised airflow channels in the base of the container, combined with venting in the anti-fog lid, to ensure that fried foods remain crispy. The unique design of the packaging system retains internal temperatures better than other containers in use for fried foods. And, like all products in Anchor’s Culinary line, it is designed to withstand up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit when placed in warming unit displays and under heat lamps. Made of polypropylene (#5PP), the containers are microwave-safe, dishwasher-safe, and consumer reusable and recyclable.

Anchor’s container product line includes upscale takeout packaging used for merchandising prepared ready-to-heat meals in supermarkets, takeout containers in restaurants, and other foodservice operations. The St. Louis-based company also provides custom package design and manufacture for many large food companies in the United States and Canada.