The AmeriStar program is an annual competition presented by the Institute of Packaging Professionals, designed to honor achievement in packaging design and engineering. This year’s winners include a number of projects for food products.
Stack pack
Clear Lam Packaging received an AmeriStar Award in the Shelf Stable Food category for its stackable container, designed for Fisher Roasted Party Peanuts. The package uses Clear Lam’s PrimaPak, a flexible container designed to replace rigid jars and blow-molded containers.
James Sanfilippo, president and CEO of Clear Lam, told FoodProductionDaily the recognition by AmeriStar judges is a vote of confidence in the pack’s stand-out potential.
“PrimaPak not only addresses current environmental concerns, it also delivers significant cost savings to processors and manufacturers,” he said “This recognition by a panel of our peers validates the advances made in our manufacturing practices and the hard work our entire team has undertaken to make our package commercially successful.”
The PrimaPak is made of lightweight, laminated rollstock, with the company’s Prima ExoShell and Peal and ReSeal lidding. It is produced on a VFFS machine and reportedly saves material and transportation costs, while improving shelf presence.
Retail-ready pack
H.B. Fuller attained AmeriStar honors in the Promotional/Display category for a retail-ready package (RRP), designed in partnership with Quaker Oats (a Pepsico brand) and International Paper. The Quaker Real Medleys packaging protects the product during transit, costs less than the two-piece tray used before, and offers sustainability improvements.
The updated RRP uses H.B. Fuller’s Open Sesame tear-tape system, which reportedly makes the container easier to open. Additionally, the design uses 35% less than material than before.
Additionally, the winning container is said to improve operational efficiency by enabling Quaker Oats to produce it on an automated packaging line. The container reportedly increases throughput by more than 50% compared to the previous version.
"It's an honor to create a solution that provides so many significant benefits to the customer and to have it recognized with an AmeriStar award," Steve Ringsdore, vice president for Americas Packaging and Converting of H.B. Fuller, said.
The full list of AmeriStar winners can be viewed on the IoPP website at www.iopp.org. Winners of the 2014 AmeriStar awards are eligible for international honors at the WorldStar packaging awards.