Packaging & Packing Materials, Containers

Dispatches from IPPE 2015

Bemis makes packaging pop with interactive and sensory technologies

03-Feb-2015 By Heidi Parsons

At the recent International Production and Processing Expo, Bemis North America extended a 4D hand to brand owners seeking packaging to help differentiate their products.

Dispatches: ISM/ProSweets 2015

Olive oil, craft brands and quad bags: European chips are more interesting than ever…

01-Feb-2015 By Kacey Culliney

The European chip sector is being shaped by complex and premium flavor blends, innovative craft players and convenient packaging, says Innova Market Insights.

European snack innovation ‘conservative’ in 2014, says ESA

09-Jan-2015 By Kacey Culliney

Snack sales and volumes across Europe remained strong last year, creating a conservative R&D sentiment throughout industry, says the European Snacks Association (ESA).

‘Just add water’ - Nestlé files patent for instant congee

06-Jan-2015 By Kacey Culliney

Nestlé has filed a patent on a method to manufacture shelf stable, instant congee made adding hot water to target busier consumers.

Federation of Bakers: 2015 will be a fight back on carbs

17-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

The UK will publish an extensive report on the role of carbohydrates in the diet next year, presenting opportunities for bread makers to fight back against carb-bashing, says the Federation of Bakers (FOB).

NPD watch: Green tea cereal, meat bars and bread for women

16-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Antioxidant-rich cereals, protein-packed snack bars and bread tailored to women’s nutritional needs were just some of the product innovations identified by Datamonitor Consumer during 2014.

Special Edition: Smart Packaging

The smaller, the smarter: Small-sized packs hit on convenience and price

15-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Light-weight, smaller bakery and snack packages are more affordable and convenient for consumers, says Euromonitor International.

Special Edition: Smart Packaging

Nifty packaging: Could data tech be the future for bakery shelf life?

12-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Using data exchange technology like near field communication (NFC) to link bread staling information with color-changing labels is a promising future concept, says Canadean.

Special Edition: Smart Packaging

Pouches and beyond: Snacks and cereals have made ‘smart’ progress

11-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Snack and cereal makers have stepped into smart packaging territory with stand-out, portable pouch formats but they can still stretch further, says a packaging expert.

SPECIAL EDITION: SMART PACKAGING

Bread packaging is far from ‘smart’ but could be, says expert

10-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Bread needs a shake up because packaging is fixated on protection and cost, meaning opportunities to spark increased consumer engagement are lost, says a packaging expert.

French Toast Crunch in line with ‘current nutritional goals’, says General Mills

09-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

General Mills has brought back French Toast Crunch cereal to US shelves but has reformulated the product to align with “current nutritional goals”, it says.

Pack Expo 2014

Co-manufacturing boom sparks design challenge

08-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

The explosive shift towards co-manufacturing in bakery and snacks presents challenges for equipment suppliers because of a greater need for interchangeable lines, says Kliklok-Woodman (KW).

Ravenwood linerless labels expands into fresh produce and bakery sector

04-Dec-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Ravenwood Packaging has expanded into the fresh produce and bakery sector, replacing traditional labels that carry backing paper with linerless ones.

Heinz opens infant cereal plant in China

03-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Heinz has opened a major production plant in southern China for its infant cereal and snacks business, keeping a paramount focus on safety and quality.

Gluten-free mug muffin start-up hungry to invigorate market

01-Dec-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Gluten-free microwaveable muffins plug a market gap where major food firms are slow to innovate, claims a start-up looking to upscale its muffin pot concept.

dispatches from Emballage 2014, Paris

Weidenhammer targets biodegradable certification

27-Nov-2014 By Joseph James Whitworth

Weidenhammer is attempting to have its composite cans certified as biodegradable.

Sustainable snacks? Production success but packaging woes, says SFA

20-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Most snack makers convert waste into animal feed or have water reduction programs, but efforts need to be sharpened in the plight to find truly green, consumer-friendly packaging, says the head of the Snack Food Association (SFA).

dispatches from Emballage 2014, Paris

Jindal claims first OPP sealant film for stand-up pouches

18-Nov-2014 By Joseph James Whitworth

Jindal Films has claimed it has introduced the first biaxially orientated polypropylene (OPP)-based sealant film for stand-up pouches.

General Mills to shut and sell US cereal plant

18-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

General Mills will shut down and sell its first cereal manufacturing plant under the $40m cost-cutting program announced earlier this year.

Patent Watch

General Mills files patent for cost-efficient flexible dough pack

14-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

General Mills has developed a flexible package for chemically-leavened refrigerated dough that it claims is considerably cheaper than market options and ensures better baking quality.

Dispatches: Pack Expo 2014

Too fast and furious? Ditch speed for efficiency, says CT USA

12-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Snack manufacturers should run slower packaging speeds for improved efficiency, durability and product protection, says the sales director of CT USA.

Dispatches: Pack Expo 2014

How will Nutrition Facts panel changes hit snacks?

12-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Snack makers and suppliers will be under pressure to make fast changes across all packs once the FDA finalizes its ruling on the nutrition facts panel, but can suppliers keep up?

Ilapak to build a production plant in the US following IMA 81% ownership

05-Nov-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Ilapak has announced plans to build an 80,000sq ft production facility in North West Arkansas, starting operations in January 2016.

DISPATCHES: PACK EXPO 2014

Bakers are behind the food safety curve, claims tech expert

05-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Food safety is important for bakers but use of technology is behind the curve and more could be done, says a technical expert.

Sonoco focuses on European expansion after $360m WPG acquisition

04-Nov-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Sonoco has completed its $360m acquisition of Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG), a European provider of composite cans, drums and rigid plastic containers.

Dispatches: Pack Expo 2014

Corrugated packaging not going away in snacks

02-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Snack makers need to protect fragile product and meet increasing e-commerce and promotional demands – good reasons to increase the use of corrugate in secondary packaging, says a business strategy expert.

Weetabix packaging subsidiary Vibixa to close

29-Oct-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Weetabix carton printing subsidiary Vibixa, which makes cardboard packaging in Cheltenham, UK, has announced plans to close its factory next year axing 105 jobs.

Dispatches: AACCI annual meeting 2014

Sustainable baking now a ‘cradle to grave’ concept

17-Oct-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Consumers expect manufacturers to take responsibility for baked goods far beyond the production gate, says a sustainability expert.

Diamond Foods to build innovation center

08-Oct-2014 By Anna Bonar

Diamond Foods will pool snack NPD efforts under one roof with its first dedicated innovation center.

US tainted packaging incident saw recall of 28m boxes of cereal

Canadian wax supplier denied early exit from Kellogg v. Flexible Packaging Corp. court case

07-Oct-2014 By Jenny Eagle

A US federal court has denied The International Group’s (IGI’s) motion for summary judgment in a case alleging the wax maker and FPC (Flexible Packaging Corp.) provided Kellogg with non-merchantable (not fit-for-sale) cereal bags.

Dispatches: AACCI annual meeting 2014

General Mills: Think globally; act local to tackle consumer problems

07-Oct-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Bakery companies must have global strategies but act locally to solve consumer problems such as carb concerns and free from needs, says the innovation head of General Mills’ global bakery platform.

Kix interactive cereal a double-win: Engages kids and appeals to parents

02-Oct-2014 By Kacey Culliney

General Mills has launched special edition Kix cereal packs with cut-out characters to accompany a series of online stories for kids – a strategy that importantly holds parent appeal, says an analyst.

EU snack sector: Origin labeling would be ‘really problematic’

02-Oct-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Origin labeling for single ingredients would be a logistical nightmare for snack makers serving no value to consumers, says the European Snacks Association (ESA).

UK consumers lack knowledge on salt in foods, says Sainsbury’s

25-Sep-2014 By Nathan Gray

Less than 10% of UK adults say they monitor salt intake ‘strictly’, with almost half revealing they do not monitor salt intake at all, according to new data.

KP Snacks to leverage growth under Intersnack ‘powerhouse’

23-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

KP Snacks has big growth plans under the Intersnack umbrella with Christmas NPD investment and a push in healthy snacking, says its branded sales head.

Mooncakes and China: Think cosmopolitan, fat-free and green

23-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Young Chinese consumers have adopted global ideals around health and sustainability, driving a cosmopolitan edge to the country’s traditional Mooncake Festival, Euromonitor says.

DIGGING INTO INNOVATION AND NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER

Cereal makers must think outside the pot: Think spoons and fruit sachets

10-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Cereal pots appeal to consumers seeking faster, easier ways of eating breakfast, but manufacturers must go beyond simple, on-the-go pot packaging, says Datamonitor Consumer.

The icing on the cake? Premier bakes up $48m Mr Kipling investment

09-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Premier Foods has put £10m ($16m) behind a multi-media promotional Mr Kipling campaign, just months after committing £20m ($32m) for a snack pack production line.

Frito-Lay president: 'We’re laser-focused on productivity’

04-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Improved supply chain productivity using automation and better go-to-market delivery systems has driven core operating profit up 6% CAGR, says the president of Frito-Lay North America.

FDA inspection sparks La Orocoveña Biscuit cake recall

04-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated the recall of La Orocoveña Biscuit cakes following an inspection that found the company had not labeled milk, soy and wheat contents.

Grupo Bimbo & General Mills make Forbes ‘most innovative’ list

01-Sep-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Mexican bread titan Grupo Bimbo and US cereal major General Mills have ranked on Forbes’ annual top 100 ‘most innovative’ companies list.

Funley’s Delicious launches on-the-go packaging

28-Aug-2014 By Simone Hellyer

Funley’s Delicious health snacks is re-launching its Wholly Granolly and Super Crackers to appeal to on-the-go consumers in September.

Young people eating snacks to ‘round out’ meals, says NPD Group

27-Aug-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Younger consumers are reaching for snacks to accompany and round out meals, and the better-for-you category is set to benefit most, finds The NPD Group.

Woman finds dead mouse in Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut

26-Aug-2014 By Laurence Gibbons

The Kellogg Company has been forced to launch an investigation after a Portsmouth woman found a dead mouse in a box of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal.

Kind Vs Clif Bar: 5 tips to make your food product packaging protectable

20-Aug-2014 By Anuj Desai

‘One would be hard-pressed to find a marketing professional who did not believe in the uniqueness of his or her product branding portfolio. Indeed, store shelves are crowded with an ever-increasing variety of eye-catching and interesting product packaging,...

FIC helps drive gluten-free mainstream, says Coeliac UK

07-Aug-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Gluten-free EU labeling laws now fall under the Food Information for Consumers (FIC) regulation – a shift that will help push the category into mainstream food, says the CEO of Coeliac UK.

The bigger picture: Dietary fibre measurement method adopted globally

01-Aug-2014 By Lynda Searby

A test method pioneered by Irish diagnostic technology company Megazyme International has become the global method of choice for ensuring dietary fibre content is not 'double counted' on nutritional labels.

‘Important changes’ as gluten-free label laws move under FIC

30-Jul-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Rules on gluten-free labeling have been published under the EU Food Information to Consumers (FIC) regulation, and there are some important changes for the future, says the Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS).