SkinnyPack salsa and Peel-and-Reseal pack for cheese recognised in 2015 DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation

21-Jun-2015 - Last updated on 18-Jun-2015 at 10:07 GMT

Club Store Cheese packaging

In partnership with IPL, Ana’s Foods has replaced its rigid salsa containers with the SkinnyPack, a flexible-rigid container that combines thin, flexible film with a strong, rigid frame.

The container was honoured as a Diamond Winner at the 2015 DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, along with Super-sizing Peel-and-Reseal Technology for Club Store Cheese, by the Bemis Company, honored for Bemis which won Silver.

Packaging designs that added intuitive functionality

An independent panel of packaging experts evaluated nearly 140 entries from more than 25 countries and awarded one diamond winner, five gold winners and seven silver winners based on "excellence" in one, two or all three categories: technological advancement, responsible packaging and enhanced user experience.

“The novelty this year lies in the fact we saw packaging designs that added intuitive functionality in a way that was both simple and meaningful for the user,” said David Luttenberger, CPP, global packaging director, Mintel Group, US and lead judge.

“There’s frequently a lot of technology behind seemingly simple designs, but when you can design packaging in a way that resolves an issue and is intuitive to use, that’s value.”

The SkinnyPack, developed by IPL, is an injection molded polypropylene container that is made by fusing a thin, flexible in-mold label (IML) film to a sturdy, rigid frame. This process ensures a strong adhesion exists between the film and injected plastic, allowing the packages to remain sturdy and strong throughout production, filling, transport, distribution and consumer use.

The lighter-weight, thin-walled SkinnyPack uses 54.8% less plastic than the original salsa containers. The mono-material packaging structure allows the container to be 100% recyclable.

The round mouth gives consumers easy access to the product inside while the square edges of the bottom provide better grip and handling.

Bemis’ SmartTack EZ Peel Reseal technology

BelGioioso Mild Provolone is made up of two individually-sealed compartments, allowing the user to peel and reseal the package 20 times or more thanks to Bemis’ SmartTack EZ Peel Reseal technology for BelGioioso Cheese.

“High-performance materials add value to packaging in many ways, but especially in protecting food and keeping food fresher and more appealing longer,” said Yasmin Siddiqi, global packaging relationship manager, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.

“As the packaging industry converges on this global issue, more and more solutions like this resealable system will be required.”

Bemis selected DuPont Selar PA and Bynel was selected for its performance as a “tie layer” to bond dissimilar materials for the packaging.

“BelGioioso Club Store package with Bemis SmartTack EZ Peel Reseal technology is a real breakthrough in terms of packaging science and innovation,” said Jane Skelton, head of Print and Packaging, Sainsbury, UK, speaking as a representative of the 2015 DuPont Awards judging panel.

“These club-sized, dual packages can be easily separated for storage and use. And, due to the resealable technology, the cheese stays fresh after multiple openings, avoiding food waste.”