Food Processing - June 2008 - (Page 58)

PAC K AG I N G Sweet snacks also are jumping on the portion-control trend, although they are not necessarily packaged as individual servings. In the frozen food category, Sara Lee Corp. (www.saralee.com), Downers Grove, Ill., launched Sara Lee Bites, a bite-sized version of its cheesecake. A “poppable” snack, each ready-to-eat “bite” has 20 calories. Designed to be eaten straight from the freezer, the bites are packed in a recloseable, tapered round paperboard tub. Graphics are livelier than those used on the packaging for full-size Sara Lee desserts to position the product as a snack food and to appeal to children as well as adults. The package holds 7.5 oz., or 40 bites. The convenience aspect Because rice crackers are a new category for club stores and consumers need to know what the product looks like, design north inserted a window into the packaging of crunchmaster rice crackers from TH Foods inc. Earlier this year, Frito-Lay (www.fritolay.com), Plano, Texas, introduced 100-calorie packs for two new snacks, Lay’s Cracker Crisps and Cheetos Cracker Trax. The company also added single-serving bags to the line-up for its Flat Earth crisps. The Flat Earth bags are sold in five-packs. NoTe To MarkeTiNG The best way to sell some snacks is to let them sell themselves — by making them visible through the package. Taking this tack with the Balance organic Bar, which is bursting with chunky ingredients such as soy crisps, nuts and fruit, Kraft Foods inc. (www.kraftfoods.com), northfield, ill., uses a transparent film to package the bars. The film, supplied by chicago-based Alcan Packaging (www. alcanpackaging.com), provides high optical clarity and robust barrier properties. A window onto the product also plays a key role in a redesigned club-store package for crunchmaster rice crackers from TH Foods inc. (www.thfoods.com), Loves Park, ill. in creating the redesign, design north (www. designnorth.com), racine, Wis., recognized a window would be an important component of the package because rice crackers are a new category for club stores, and consumers want to know what the product looks like. Although the packaging puts a strong emphasis on product photography, the window showing the crackers is necessary to fully convey the product’s attributes. “From a textural standpoint, the window delivers. it communicates texture and crispiness that you might not get in the photo,” explains design north’s president, Lee sucharda iii. “seeing is believing.” 58 • Food Processing June 2008 In many instances, snack processors are targeting both portion control and convenience with a single package design. The Blue Diamond canister and the 100-calorie packs, for example, tuck easily into a gym bag, briefcase, backpack or purse, providing convenient, controlled snacking on the go. Other package designs focus solely on convenience, with an emphasis on portability. Such is the case with the Cheerios on-the-go pack from Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc. (www.generalmills.com), which makes it easier to feed snacks to babies and toddlers away from home. Holding 1.1 oz. of Cheerios, the refillable plastic jar is topped with a closure that has openings of two sizes for easy dispensing. The package, in Cheerios yellow, fits easily in a handbag, diaper bag or stroller and is merchandised in the baby products aisle. For older snackers, P&G has extended its assortment of on-thego Pringles packages with the Pringles Grab and Go! can, which holds 1.52 oz. of product vs. 6 oz. in the original can. Convenience also has come to packaging for snack seeds. With an eye to the special requirements of sunflower seed eaters, Spitz International Inc. (www.spitz.ca), Medicine Hat, Alberta, has introduced a sunflower seed package that doubles as a spittoon for seed hulls. An 8-oz. bag of sunflower seeds is packed in the spittoon – which is a wax-lined paper cup – and the package is shrink wrapped. The spittoon is proportioned for car cup holders. Spitz is addressing convenience in other ways, as well. “Currently we are the only sunflower seed company that offers resealable packages on all our large single-serve and take-home items,” says Chris Tamillo, national sales manager at Spitz. In addition, “We have expanded our product line to include a 2.25-oz., convenient tube size that fits easily into a briefcase, purse or pocket for today’s on-the-go crowd.” Green initiatives Snack processors are taking sustainability to heart in both processing and packaging. Frito-Lay uses solar power and purchases renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset the electricity it uses to produce SunChips snacks in the U.S., and the company uses its packaging to communicate the effort. Specifically, Frito-Lay includes the Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-e symbol on SunChips packaging to show it supports green energy through the purchase of RECs. SunChips is FoodProcessing.com http://www.saralee.com http://www.generalmills.com http://www.generalmills.com http://www.fritolay.com http://www.spitz.ca http://www.kraftfoods.com http://www.alcanpackaging.com http://www.alcanpackaging.com http://www.thfoods.com http://www.designnorth.com http://www.designnorth.com http://foodprocessing.com

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Food Processing - June 2008 Editor's Plate NewsBites Show Report The Trends Rollout Food Biz Kids Consumer Taste Test A Bevy of New CEOs Ingredients Packaging Plant Operations MRO Q&A New Supplier Products Toops Scoops Contents

Food Processing - June 2008

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