Package Deals

All around the perimeter, packaging providers are rethinking how to store and preserve fresh food products.

Fresh food packaging continues to evolve, with innovative offerings debuting throughout the perimeter that address a range of needs, chief among them supply chain efficiencies, longer shelf life and sustainability Following is just a sampling of the many latest product introductions.

As featured at this year's IDDBA Deli-Dairy-Bake 2011 last month, Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Clear Lam is expanding its packaging offerings with materials certified under the new USDA BioPreferred Program. Products that earn the Biobased product label are made wholly or significantly of renewable plant or animal materials. Clear Lam's thermoformed produce container earned the first Biobased product label in March, and three more of the company's product lines now bear the label: Thermoformed PLA Produce/Deli Trays, Containers and Lids; Flexible Film EC240HB PLA Packaging Material; and Forming Film RENU920 Extruded Modified PLA Sheet. The USDA BioPreferred Program makes it easier for businesses and consumers to identify products made with bio-based materials.

Additionally, new Peel/Re-Seal technology developed by Clear Lam features a reclosable tray and lid system for longer shelf life and added convenience. The new packaging is particularly well suited to cheese and deli items, as well as other foods meant to be enjoyed on multiple occasions. And Clear Lam's Accuware Lightweight Hinged Containers for the bakery and confectionary markets provide better food protection and greater product visibility. The product design of this next generation of smooth-wall clamshells additionally maximizes the cube and improves shelf use to reduce the impact on the environment.

Produce at its Peak

IFCO Systems has introduced products for bananas and strawberries to its existing portfolio of reusable plastic containers (RPCs). According to New Orleans-based IFCO, each container was specifically designed to meet the unique needs of its respective product, ensuring higher quality at retail and greater supply chain efficiencies. The RPC for bananas boasts better protection than traditional packaging, along with faster cooling and better temperature management for fruit ripening and freshness at retail display, according to the company, while the ergonomic design and secure stacking ability result in supply chain and handling efficiencies.

IFCO notes that it's the first packaging supplier to commercially introduce an RPC designed to meet the unique needs of strawberries within the industry-standard 60-centimeter-by-40-centimeter footprint. The manufacturer's berry RPC facilitates faster cooling and protects delicate product better through the supply chain, thereby delivering superior-quality strawberries to shoppers. “We tested the new 6408N RPC extensively, from field harvesting to cooling to loading and distribution center receipt,” notes Anthony Gallino, VP of sales at Watsonville-based California Giant Berry Farms (CalGiant). “The collaborative effort between CalGiant, IFCO and retail resulted in a very positive startup, with early shipments a real success.”

In addition, the RPC accommodates a pack of nine 1-pound clamshells, a 9 percent increase in clamshells per pallet delivered vs. the conventional corrugated pack. The new strawberry RPC also cross-stacks to build a strong pallet, and eliminates the need for tie sheets and other packaging materials.

In the realm of package aesthetics and labeling, Pelion, S.C.-based WP Rawl, a leading producer of fresh bulk and packaged greens, has redesigned the bags for its nine-SKU Nature's Greens line of triplewashed, ready-to-use greens, which include kale, collard, mustard and turnip greens, as well as greens blends.

The new packaging aims to educate shoppers who are unfamiliar with the flavor profile of these greens or how to prepare them, through an approachable, modern design incorporating a combination of essential information and accessible inspiration. The front of each bag features nutritional highlights, flavor descriptors and usage tips, while the back offers the nutritional panel, a full recipe and additional quick tips. Completing the package is a quick response (QR) code giving consumers access to more recipes, coupons and sweepstakes at various times throughout the year.

“Expanding the leafy greens category is one element of our goal to build long-term category success for our retail partners,” explains director of sales and marketing Ashley Rawl. “The time is right to educate and inspire existing and new users. The quality and ease of use of our greens, combined with increased interest in eating healthy foods, makes our overall strategy and targeted redesign a winning combination for retailers and consumers alike.”

Making Meat Last Longer

Over in the meat case, North Andover, Mass.based Plantic Technologies Ltd. creates bio-based barrier material for case-ready modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), which Plantic America division president Thomas Black says results in a sustainable package that features a high degree of renewable sourced materials while also offering superior barrier performance at competitive pricing for case-ready applications.

The core material, known as thermoplastic starch, of the eco Plastic EHB sheet is based on FDA-approved high-amylose corn starch technology, which has exceptional barrier properties. Plantic has documented the extension of shelf life of such products as ground beef with EHB trays, and has retained Clemson University for shelf-life testing of the EHB material with meat products.

In addition to being used to manufacture preformed trays, EHB, with its excellent formability traits, provides more options to food processors and retailers interested in producing their own unique rigid packaged products, notes Black.

Fresher Foodservice Options

Foodservice providers also have more options, now that Hayward, Calif.-based CoverMate has introduced an extra-large size of its stretch-to-fit foodservice covers that offer a convenient way to keep food fresh. The new size fits full and half-size catering pans, cafeteria trays, large serving bowls and platters. Since rolling out the foodservice covers last year, CoverMate has added further capacity, which has allowed for a 50 percent price reduction.

The foodservice line now consists of four sizes that fit virtually every item in the commercial kitchen. The new extra-large covers come in easy-to-dispense 20-count sleeves and are sold 400 covers to a case.

“We've had a great response to our foodservice covers and wanted to make them work even harder by fitting the largest trays, platters and pans,” explains CoverMate president and CEO Claus Sadlier. “Not only did we accomplish that, we significantly cut our production cost, making them even more economical than conventional plastic wrap and container lids.”

Sealed Air Scores With ‘SmartLife’

Sealed Air has reached a significant milestone in its “SmartLife” sustainability commitments: 60 percent of its global manufacturing facilities have attained “zero waste-to-landfill” status for plastic raw material usage in 2010.

“More than 95 percent of our plastic raw materials are used to produce saleable products,” notes Vince Herran, global recycling director for Duncan, S.C.-based Sealed Air. “Much of our success in moving toward zero waste is the result of several programs we have implemented across our global manufacturing supply chain that improve yields and identify beneficial uses for our scrap material.” Herran adds that these programs have enabled Sealed Air to recycle its own products into other useful items, or use for energy recovery a large amount of its plastic waste at all of its operations. In fact, the company has improved its ability to do either of these things by 72 percent, based on waste figures from 2002.

“Our SmartLife approach focuses on understanding and improving the environmental profiles of our products and the products that our products protect,” explains Sealed Air executive director of sustainability Ron Cotterman. “We look across the entire life cycle [m] from material use and energy consumption to C02 emissions and waste generation. We recognize that this means starting with our own operations and setting goals to eliminate waste by reducing the amount we generate and finding practical uses for all that remains.” To progress further in the initiative, Sealed Air is developing programs to find additional applications for scrap, including using recycled materials in construction, such as concrete blocks and roofing material, and in railroad ties.

Manufacturing a wide range of packaging and performance-based materials and equipment systems, Sealed Air offers such widely recognized brands as Bubble Wrap brand cushioning, Jiffy protective mailers, Instapak foam-in-place systems and Cryovac packaging technology.

Featuring a patent-pending FlexBand that creates a secure seal over any size or shape of container while standing up to repeated use, the food covers help eliminate spoilage and prevent odor migration where various food ingredients and prepared items are stored together in walk-in coolers and freezers. Among the covers' additional patent-pending features are built-in corners for fitting round or rectangular dishware, and vents that enable steam to escape during microwave reheating, the covers are made from heavy-duty, clear FDA-compliant food-grade material that's free of BPA and PVC.

Meanwhile, Fabri-Kal, a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based provider of disposable foodservice packaging, now makes its Alür crystal-clear containers with 50 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic PET bottles. Offering merchandisers an eco-friendly option designed to boost product sales, the containers' messaging relating to the 50 percent PCR content is engraved on the bottom of every Alür item to reinforce their sustainable characteristics.

The durable, leak-resistant containers, along with their lids, are custom printable for merchandise branding opportunities. Made in the United States, the line offers six popular sizes ranging from 5 to 32 ounces, with a common plug-fit lid fitting the five most common sizes.

Alür containers further bolster the sustainability proposition by using plastics that have collected in commercial and residential recycling programs, which means less refuse going into the waste stream and less need to tap virgin raw materials to produce consumer goods, notes Fabri-Kal, whose latest packaging application also complies entirely with FDA requirements for food contact.

In the baked goods arena, Fountain Inn, S.C.-based D&W Fine Pack has expanded its DisplayCake and SeeShell packaging lines for broader bakery applications. The new products, which include 8- and 9-inch round scalloped 2-3 layer cake combos and 8-inch scalloped hinged containers, also made their debut at the IDDBA show.

Featuring a clear scalloped dome designed for easy viewing atop a black base, D&W's new DisplayCake container's flat 9-inch round cake base also fits under its DisplayPie domes to showcase such items as fruit tarts or cheesecakes. The products are made from PETE (polyethelene terephthalate), the most recycled plastic, which, according to D&W, provides excellent gas and moisture barriers, freezing capability, and strength.

Made of clear OPS, the 8-inch SeeShell hinged container additions come in shallow, medium and slanted depths and are crafted to hold cookies, specialty breads and fresh bakery items.

“D&W is committed to providing a full range of options to our many bakery and deli customers,” says Bob Saric, director of sales for the company's grocery and processor unit. “Each of our products in these lines is especially designed to meet the customers' specific needs and to work interchangeably, offering greater flexibility and ease of use, as well as lower overall packaging costs.”