At the International Dairy Deli Bread Association (IDDBA) in Anaheim, Milliken & Company (Spartanburg, SC, USA) introduced a new packaging concept to meet consumer demand for high-quality, The need for safe and convenient food packaging.
Both of these new packaging concepts are in line with the home-meal-replacement trend, with transparent, convenient packaging helping retailers increase food sales. One focuses on being customizable, while the other features a tamper-evident design that ensures food safety and freshness.
Both packs feature Milliken's NXUltraClear polypropylene resin, which can withstand high and low temperatures and can be microwaved.
Emily Blair, business development manager of Milliken Plastics Additives, also accepted an interview with the media and introduced the new packaging concept.
Q: Can you talk about customizable design?
Blair: This is for customers who want customizable fresh food. This new concept is ideal for the cooked and prepackaged foods that supermarkets and grocery stores sell, allowing customers to choose one as a snack or a few more for a small meal. The personalized packaging will be on display at IDDBA in two sizes, 10 oz and 20 oz. It also comes with a custom tray that can hold multiple containers smoothly.
All components of the customizable packaging concept – trays, individual containers and lids – are thermoformable and available in any size and configuration.
Q: What benefits can TE design provide?
Blair: The second innovative packaging concept is TE Design. Although PET tamper-evident packaging has been around for many years, this is the first transparent PP packaging that will leave marks on the inside. The new container also features other innovations that drive sales, and improve convenience and safety. At IDDBA we will be exhibiting 16 oz round containers that are very clear, hot-fillable, microwaveable and fully recyclable. Such containers are widely used in the food field, including meal packs, ready-to-eat meals, and the like.
Q: Predict how these new packaging concepts will react in the market?
Blair: The customizable packaging concept, which we developed with leading players in a variety of fields including food manufacturing, packaging design and stores, will debut at IDDBA. We expect the market reaction to be relatively optimistic. Likewise, the tamper-evident packaging concept will be showcased for the first time at IDDBA and I am sure its unique transparency and other innovative features will be well received.
Q: What is driving the trend and growth of packaging transparency?
Blair: The high transparency of NXUltraClearPP enhances the visual appeal. Now that ready-to-eat and made-to-order foods are so popular, such packaging can drive in-store sales. Customers associate transparency of packaging with high quality, purity, etc. Food consumers are looking for freshness, and retailers or brands have nothing to hide. Transparent packaging can increase trust and confidence.
Q: What other important features are there?
Blair: NXUltraClearPP is suitable for hot filling applications and can be reheated repeatedly in heating equipment in supermarkets and in microwave ovens at home. Milliken's technology enables the first plastic to combine high transparency and high heat resistance.
Each container is suitable for two different applications, which simplifies ordering, logistics and improves space management in stores. As another complementary advantage, UltraClearPP is easy to recycle, meeting industry and consumer demands for sustainability.
