Consumer-friendly food packaging tops international awards
consumer packaging needs and responding with exceptional packaging
solutions, as evidenced by the winners of the 2003 Flexible
Packaging Achievement Awards competition.
The flexible packaging industry is paying close attention to consumer packaging needs and responding with exceptional packaging solutions, as evidenced by the winners of the 2003 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards competition.
Twenty-one packages, mainly from the food and beverage sector received 27 awards out of a record-setting 87 entries in this year's programme. For the third year in a row, two packages tied for the prestigious Highest Achievement Award.
Several of this year's winners including Hershey's Portable Pudding stick pack, Del Monte's Fruit-to-Go fruit cup lidding and the Sainsbury Rice stand up pouch offer new retortable flexible packaging materials that render fully cooked meal and snack solutions for time-challenged consumers.
Many of these same packages are addressing the need for portability - in some cases eliminating the use of utensils (Hershey's Portable Pudding stick pack) while in others doing away with the messy transfer of food items from one container to another (Cryovac Simple Steps and Gerber's Lil' Entrees). Additionally, easy-opening portion controlled flexible packages such as Hershey's Portable Pudding, Del Monte's Fruit-to-Go, and Gerber's Lil' Entrees are serving up convenience while addressing nutritional concerns.
Several of the 2003 Achievement Award winners including Kool-Aid's Jammers pouch, Fairytale Brownies' individual wrapper, Triangle Coating's grout pouch, and the NutraSeal film package for LifePAK all employ film structures that offer outstanding protection while offering a clear view of the package contents. New eye-popping flexible packages such as the stand up pouches for Gooberlicious Dog Treats, Safeway's Vegetable Potstickers, Beechnut's Rice Cereal for Babies, and Frugos' apple juice concentrate, as well as Ore Ida's Roasted Reds package, Lundberg Family Farms' Rice Chips package, Welch's Variety Pack wrap, and Sun Shine's Ice Melting Compound bag are using advanced films coupled with sophisticated printing technologies to act as silent salesmen, helping call attention to products which busy consumers might normally miss while shopping. And of course, intricately printed shrink sleeves are reawakening mature markets as demonstrated in the Pennzoil-Quaker State racecar-shaped package.
In the food service sector, the Aseptic Gravity Flow Valve package is allowing hotels, universities and other large institutions to offer the safe dispensing of certain beverages. And in perhaps one of the most interesting uses for flexible technology, Kappler's Chem-Tape can "package" a person by protecting against harmful chemical agents.
All these innovations recognized by the 2003 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards. The awards honor packaging and converting excellence across a broad range of the flexible packaging industry. The programme includes four categories - Packaging Excellence, Technical Innovation, Environmental Achievement, and Printing Achievement. Winning packages can earn the Highest Achievement Award, the Gold Award and/or the Silver Award. For a detailed list of all the winners check please refer to the Flexible Packaging Association website.
Based in the US, the association has served as the voice of the flexible packaging industry since the Association was established in 1950. Its members convert or supply the raw materials used to produce bags, pouches, labels, liners, wraps, rollstock, and other flexible products.
