Food and drink packaging innovation highlighted
The group highlights an added value pack for an assortment of herbal tea assortment from RC Bigelow in the US, whereby four tea bags are flow wrapped in a flexo printed foil laminate material, five of which go into a litho printed glued end carton with a side tear-strip.
”Eight of these cartons are packed into a collapsible ‘photo box’, which is offered as a free gift and provides an excellent construction for re-use purposes. The photo box is plain with a magnetic closure system and features a litho printed card cover, kept in place with an elasticated cord with a gift tag,” said Mintel.
Re-use potential
According to the analysts, Plup of Finland has come up with a pack that has genuine re-use potential for added environmental benefits.
The company’s Plup spring water is sold in a 400ml pack made from extrusion blown high density polyethylene (HDPE), and comes in the shape of a ‘doughnut’.
The pack features a screw cap injection moulded in polypropylene, shaped like a starfish, and a single self-adhesive paper label, printed flexo, carries the message that ten cents from every purchase go to the Baltic Sea Action Group, an organisation dedicated to cleaning up the Baltic Sea.
“At €2.39 the pack is not cheap, but if offers real differentiation as well as a tangible environmental angle – consumers are urged to refill and re-use it, and it is durable enough for heavy-duty handling,” said the market researchers.
Syrup caps
The group said that French company, Delo, has an imaginatively packaged line of beverage concentrate syrups.
An injection moulded HDPE cap with a weakened seal in the base is filled with syrup, and as it is screwed onto a 500ml bottle of water the seal is broken and the contents released to mix.
According to Mintel, each cap is placed into a single colour-coded, reverse-tuck carton printed litho, and five different varieties of the cap, for example to make drinks for slimming or energy are then film over-wrapped for retail sale.
Cereal packaging
The researchers also put the spotlight on a muesli cereal pack from Kellogg in Argentina, explaining that the product is contained in a plastic bag placed inside a carefully engineered carton with glue flaps on top and bottom and a plastic window in the front.
“When opened the side flaps are removed and by well designed creases the top third will collapse inwards allowing the consumer to tuck in the top section. It is also interesting to see copious Braille markings on the back panel.”
Tamper screw
In terms of bottled water, Mineralquellen Wüllner’s Carolinen flavoured mineral water in a PET injection stretch blow moulded bottle was noted for its innovation.
The analysts said the cap, in particular, is of interest in that it is injection moulded in two parts: “The first section is a tamper evident screw on system with an extended neck. Sitting on the neck is the second section featuring a hinged lockable device to prevent spillage between mouthfuls.”
