The Americas Star Awards, the annual review by the Association of Packaging Professionals, are the longest-running and broadest packaging awards in the field. The judging process is also very special. For many years, the personal experience of consumers has been an important judging factor.

 In this award-winning packaging, several products are particularly noteworthy. Let's start by looking at the largest market - food and beverage packaging. The FarmhouseCulture Sour Pickle stand-up pouch from ProAmpac (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) won an award in the frozen food category. Sour pickles required a vent, and after a redesign, ProAmpac installed a one-way leak-proof vent valve on a soft, reclosable stand-up pouch. A press-to-close seal allows consumers to put leftover kimchi back in the freezer instead of pouring them out into another container. The stand-up pouch has a small transparent window on the back, allowing consumers to see the product inside before purchasing.

 Clorox's HiddenValley brand Dip & PourCups for Snapsil (Huntington Beach, USA) received an award in the food category for shelf life. The lid of the disposable cup is a peelable film, which reduces food waste, and through this packaging, consumers can try a variety of flavors without risking buying a whole bottle and not liking the flavor after unpacking.

    America's Star judges also appreciated the shape and imagery of each package, allowing consumers to clearly identify the difference between each flavor.

    Unlike existing HiddenValley brand DipCups, Dip & PourCups feature not just a peelable lid, but the patented Snapsil pour feature.

    Additionally, the tray on which Dip & Pour Cups are placed has an automatic bottom platform that makes this single-use cup appear as tall as a standard bottle from Hidden Valley Ranch.

Another packaging that won a shelf-stable award in the food category is GoodFood's Grab&Go packaging. The introduction of this stackable package has escalated the already fierce competition in single-use food packaging. The packaging itself is divided into upper and lower layers, the upper layer is the cup body that holds the potato chips, and the lower layer is the cup body that holds the sauce portion. To reduce the risk of pathogen contamination, the package is autoclaved after the filling and sealing film seals the sauce cups. The chip cups are filled and sealed on a separate machine, then the two cups are snapped together and sealed with a shrink film label. This thermoformed cup is made from 30 mil PET recycled material, which provides high clarity, recyclability and hardness for high pressure processing.

The Clasper bottle technology from Plastic Technologies (Holland, Ohio), which combines two PET containers with a shrink label, won an award in the alcoholic beverage category. The first commercial application of this new technology was the launch of the Yumix Portable Cocktail, which has a 50ml premium liquor bottom container, a 6.5oz hot-fill juice body in the body, and a 38mm PP cap on top , sealed internally by aluminum foil. The visual appeal is enhanced by a patterned retractable label with instructions for use.

    In use, consumers can easily separate the shrink sleeve label through the gap between the top and bottom containers, separate the bottom container and the bottle body through the perforation, and remove the top seal and bottom cap respectively. , pour the wine into the juice, and make an instant cocktail.

    The concept of Clasper is to bring two different products together in a clever packaging, which can be consumed separately or mixed together for drinking.

 This health and beauty packaging award-winning product combines an injection-molded vacuum tube and an eye-catching in-mold label into a single bottle. Conditioner products from John Frieda Sheer Blonde come in packaging provided by Healthcare Packaging (Toronto, Canada) with a fully printed surface and a matte finish to prevent scratches.

    The redesigned pull cover is more understated than ever and includes a hot stamped pull tab and two drain holes for evacuating cold water. The tube is made of PP, 100% recyclable

    The judges of the American Star Packaging Awards competition judged more than 80 packages, and the awards set up 12 category awards, 4 student awards and the top three American Star awards. Nearly 20 judges from various segments of the packaging industry evaluated this year's shortlisted products. The criteria included packaging innovation, product protection, economy, performance, market sales and environmental impact.