The introduction of a two-handle bag comes in response to growing consumer demand for an easier method of handling bags of the company's Diamond Crystal water conditioning salt products.
"Cargill was in need of a simplified method for consumers to carry large bags of salt," said Craig Miller, director of sales for Exopack's performance plastics division.
"They came to Exopack with an idea, and we responded by helping them to develop a quality, two-handled product capable of meeting the needs of their customers."
Exopack claims that this is the first such bag ever produced for both consumer and commercial markets.
"As a result of our strong technical competency, long-term relationship, and excellent track record of providing win-win solutions, Exopack was given the opportunity to partner closely with Cargill in developing this exciting new feature for the marketplace," said Miller.
"Cargill developed the idea for the 2-handle bag and found that working with Exopack to refine the prototype and our concepts sped up the development and consumer testing process," said Nancy Lucas, director of marketing and pricing for Cargill.
"Exopack played an integral role in bringing this feature to our customers and end consumers."
With fourteen North American manufacturing facilities generating over $500 million in annual revenue, Exopack is a leader in the manufacture of paper and plastic flexible packaging for consumer and industrial products. The new packaging is covered by joint patents and patent applications from both Exopack and Cargill.
Global salt production was 225 million tons in 2001, and of this, nearly 10 per cent was used for food production. The food sector can be subdivided, in descending order of salt consumption, into meat packers, canning, other food processing, grain mill products,baking, and dairy.
In meat packing, salt is added to processed meats to promotecolor development in bacon, ham, and other processed meatproducts. As a preservative, salt inhibits the growth of bacteria,which would lead to spoilage of the product. Salt acts as a binder in sausages to form abinding gel composed of meat, fat, and moisture. Salt also actsas a flavour enhancer and a tenderiser.
In canning, salt is primarily added as a flavor enhancer andpreservative. It also is used as a dehydrating agent, tenderiser,enzyme inhibitor, and carrier for other ingredients.
In the other food processing category, salt is used mainlyas a seasoning agent. In baking, salt is addedto control the rate of fermentation in bread dough.