Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009 - (Page 98)

Fresh Food Sheer Innovation This wrap-up of the latest packaging applications reveals a sleek melding of form and function. By Meg Major P ackaging is riding high in the fresh food world, as evidenced by a groundswell of innovation and collaboration taking shape between trading partners in record numbers. • Marketing Design: The Oppenheimer Group and Zespri for Kiwi Snack Pack • Marketing Messaging/Content: Stemilt Growers for its Fresh, Flavorful & Family-farmed cherry display bin • Supply Chain Efficiencies: IFCO Systems for Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) “We have seen a positive shift since this award program began,” noted PMA president Bryan Silbermann. “The entries reflect an increasing industry commitment to the role packaging can play in maintaining product quality and safety, in communicating with consumers, and in demonstrating the industry’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.” As in years past, this recent Fresh Summit confab once again served as the primary springboard for a number of impressive new product launches, many of which begin and end with cutting-edge packaging design. Among the standouts is Coral Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce’s new proprietary controlled New packaging from Del Monte Fresh Produce delivers brighter, shinier top-shelf finger bananas with an extended shelf life. During last month’s Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit in Anaheim, Calif., the exceptional achievements of eight companies chosen as this year’s Impact Awards winners drove that point home with packaging applications that demonstrate creativity and innovation. In presenting the awards, Wegmans Food Markets’ David Corsi, chair of PMA’s executive committee, spoke about the rich opportunities that packaging innovation offers to promote a brand and advance key initiatives such as sustainability. The slate of PMA’s 2009 Impact Award winners, delineated by categories, included: • Environment/Sustainability: Earthbound Farm Clamshell Packages: 5-ounce, 11-ounce, 1-pound and 2-pound • Food Safety/Traceability: Yottamark, Inc. for Microbaker Traceable Labels • Functionality/Technology: Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. and Taylor Farms, Inc. for Taylor Fresh Bag Plus ripening technology (CRT) banana packaging, which offers retailers improved quality and inventory control with ripening and handling, alongside reduced shrink and increased sales opportunities. Following extensive testing of its new CRT package, Del Monte Fresh officials say the new technology offers many advantages over the conventional banana box, beginning with a brighter-looking, sweeter-tasting banana that has a shelf life three days longer than that of conventionally packaged bananas. Promising not only to reduce shrink at the retail level, but also reduce labor, the new design, for which air stacking is no longer necessary, also enables retailers to have fewer banana deliveries. Citing results of early-adopter retailers that have already seen improved movement in comparison with the same time period last year, Del Monte Fresh executives said during a recent press conference that pro- duce managers have also noticed significant labor savings in tandem with favorable consumer feedback that speaks to the “improved taste, quality, freshness and texture” of Del Monte CRT bananas. “Innovation is rare in the banana category,” says Dennis Christou, Del Monte Fresh N.A.’s VP of marketing, of the groundbreaking product. “Our objective was to create a new packaging that would improve quality while at the same time help retailers reduce labor costs and shrink.” Del Monte Fresh is also offering a new addition to its line of on-the-go energy snacks, courtesy of CRT packaging, with its single-serve finger bananas. The innovative package helps the convenience-oriented bananas experience less scarring and bruising, thanks to improved moisture retention that yields a brighter, shinier, top-shelf banana with a shelf life up to five days longer than that of comparable product. Available in a 40-pound bulk box, 40-pound quadpack or 10-pound display-ready box, the single-serve banana packs — ideal for convenience and foodservice operators — feature a scannable bar code for easy checkout. www.progressivegrocer.com • Progressive Grocer • November/December 2009 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009

Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009
Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: All Departments/Ramen Noodles
Progressive Grocer’s Category Captains Awards: Recession Planning
Consumer Insights: Innovate to Differentiate
Independents Report: Determining Relative Worth
Lempert Report:The Trends That’ll be Tops in 2010
Store of the Month: A New Brand of Winn-Dixie
Beverage Alcohol: Glass Half Full
Sports/Energy Drinks: Energetic Sales?
Category Management: Categorical Shifts
Holiday/Super Bowl Meat Promotions: Bowled Over
PG’s Annual Deli/Bakery/ Prepared Foods Roundtable: Bringing Value to the Table: Part 2
Packaging Trends: Sheer Innovation
Price and Promotion Optimization Software: Optimization Plus
Signage: Above and Beyond
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009