Cool Lids..

Kraft have launched special limited edition lids for three of its Philadelphia variants to promote the cream cheese’s versatility. The lids use lenticular technology to reveal images of dishes that can be made using Philadelphia.  

300g packs of Original, Light and Garlic and Herb reveal images of cooked meatballs, macaroni cheese and a chilli pasta bake.

The full recipes are on the reverse of the label. Looking from the different angle can result in the word Chiladelphia appearing, which following the success of chocolate Philadelphia could be Kraft’s next new flavour!

Smart use of packaging technology !

New EU logo for Packs

The EU’s ‘leaf’ logo (shown in the image) must now appear on all packaged organic foods after a two-year transition period ended on 1 July. It means food manufacturers – and the farmers they got the ingredients from – have complied with strict EU-wide rules for organic food and drink, according to the European Commission.

The rules – and logo – aim to promote the EU’s organic farmers, their care for the land, biodiversity and high standards of animal protection. The market has been growing in recent years. About 2% of the foods bought by EU consumers are certified as organic, and around 200 000 EU farms are certified as organic producers.
Other requirements : When using the EU organic logo, manufacturers must also put on the label the reference number of the certification authority and the names of the producer, processor or distributor who last handled the product. National organic certification marks may also be used alongside the EU’s logo.
The logo remains optional on unpackaged produce and imports. Organic rules in other countries and certification authorities must have been recognised as equivalent to EU standards before organic products can be imported into EU countries.
Law : According to the EC, on 1 August new rules on organic wine will become law. In February, the EU signed an agreement with the US on recognising each other’s organic products. The agreement will reduce red tape for exporters, according to the Commission. The Commission is currently looking at ways to further improve the EU’s organic rules. Foods may only be called organic if at least 95% of their agricultural ingredients are organic. The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products manufactured from GMOs is prohibited.

Just Apples

Award Winning SRP Concept.

"Plum Organics is both telegraphically and beautifully designed, without compromising on the practicalities of navigation."

Lightweight PET Bottles.

Nestlé Waters UK recently announced an investment of over £35 million in a new state of the art bottling and warehousing facility in Buxton . Opening in Spring of 2012, the factory will make lightweight bottles of Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Pure Life, using an average of 25% less PET plastic across all still water formats.
The new lightweight bottles will be launched across Buxton Natural Mineral Water (25cl, 50cl, 75cl and 1litre) and Nestlé Pure Life (33cl and 50cl) formats. The environmental credentials of the new bottles will be exposed on the refreshed packaging, highlighting the changes to consumers. The new lighter bottles have a shorter neck and a sturdy, ergonomical shape that requires less plastic and fits comfortably the hand. The bottles, made with reduced PET plastic, remain completely recyclable.

Free WiFi = QR codes on packaging

The growth of QR (quick response) codes on product packaging is now leading to stores installing wifi free of charge for customer use so that their clients will not have to pay for connections or not be reliant on mobile connections which frequently fail. All smart 'phones today can read QR codes. Tesco (UK) provides free wifi in some of its British stores and Ahold is now testing the service in its Albert Heijn stores in Holland. In the latter case a test began last week. In six stores there will be a one hour time limit whilst in the others there will be no limit.
Smart Move !

Weight reduction of food trays...Thanks to PP !

A new meat tray is 20 % lighter than its predecessor in part due to a high performance polypropylene.
ES-Plastic is a producer of thermoformed trays used in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of fresh meat and is using SABIC® PP (polypropylene) materials to help minimize weight while increasing performance.
The latest product from the German company, the Evolution tray, weighs 10 g, compared to 12,6 g for the version it replaces. The company achieved the reduction by using SABIC® PP grades, while fine-tuning its sheet extrusion and thermoforming processes.

THANKS SABIC !

Coca-Cola To Minimize Plastics Use

In an effort to minimize the usage of plastics, The Coca-Cola Company has joined with the three biotechnology companies to commercially build up 100% plant-based plastic bottles made from renewable sources.
The new bio-based plastic bottles will be a breakthrough in the first-generation PlantBottle packaging, which was initiated in 2009 and which was the only fully recyclable PET bottle made with up to 30% plant-based material called MEG (mono-ethylene glycol). The remaining 70% was made from PTA (purified terephthalic acid).
At that time, Coca-Cola had distributed more than 10 billion plastic bottles in 20 countries all over the world. Now, with the support of the three industry leaders of Virent, Gevo and Avantium, the remaining 70% will also be substituted with plant-based materials.
Though the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Coca-Cola expects to open its first full-scale commercial plant by early 2015.

Smart Move indeed !