Packaging Laws

For those of you interested in staying current on regulations that effect the food packaging industry, there is a website dedicated to this very topic.

PackagingLaw.com is an online resource for both national and international packaging laws. This is a free resource sponsored by the law firm of Keller and Heckman LLP.

PackagingLaw.com is the leader in up to date information on laws effecting the product design and packaging communities. The website features regular updated regulatory news, links to packaging industry and government websites, monthly focus on topics, the ability to consult a law specialist online, and information on the FDA Food Contact Notification system.

Don’t make a costly mistake. be sure to visit their site before you package your food or drug product.

Organic Packaging

When does “organic” truly mean “organic”?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently established new standards for organically grown foods to clarify any confusion. The new rules define how and when products and marketing materials may bear the term “organic” or the new USDA “Organic” seal.

The rules state that:

• Products labeled “100% Organic”must be made entirely of organic materials.
• Products labeled “Organic” or “95% Organic” must consist of at least 95% organically grown ingredients.
• Products that have at least 70% organic ingredients may be marketed as “Made with Organic Ingredients” and may list up to three of those ingredients on the front of the product.

Products containing less that 70% organically grown ingredients may not make statements about the organically grown ingredients on the front of the product. The organic ingredients may only be declared in the list of ingredients.

Additionally, the new rules prohibit the use of irradiated and bio-technically enhanced ingredients in the production of any organic products.

Products allowed to display the new USDA seal must originate from farms and processors that have been certified by a private or public agency accredited by the USDA.

Most consumers believe that organically grown food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown foods. Many are willing to pay extra for the perceived benefits.

The USDA has stated that the new USDA Organic seal on packages is simply a marketing standard and not a stamp of approval. Still, many believe that the USDA Organic stamp will be perceived as an endorsement or a mark of quality.

Already there is talk that the new seal may have to be redesigned—or abandoned all together—if consumers misinterpret the meaning of the seal.

For addition information, download the official USDA publication:

Organic Packaging (39 KB | .pdf)

Security Packaging

We have all purchased product that the checkout clerk had to pass over a special electronic pad before they placed the item into the bag.

Why did the clerk have to do that?

Chances are, they were deactivating an electronic device attached to, or hidden within, the product you purchased.

Source tagging is the process of adding a small electronic device to a product in order to deter shrinkage (theft). The device sets off a store alarm if it is not deactivated at the time of checkout.

To everyone but would-be thieves, source tagging creates a win-win-win situation: the devices allow retailers to focus on honest customers instead of worrying about shoplifters; product manufacturers are being provided more shelf space for items that are normally considered high shrink; and customers are able to handle product that is normally stowed out of sight. The benefits so far outweigh any negatives that industry experts expect more and more product to contain these devices.

But who will apply these devices? Most retailers want the tags to be applied during the manufacturing or packaging process instead of at the retail level. Not only does it eliminate the possibility of employee tampering but it also makes the process of stocking shelves more efficient.

Polyethylene Bagging Services

There are always new and outstanding opportunities for packaging retail products.

For example, an item in a poly bag with a header could be upgraded to a blister pack and garner a higher price point due to a greater perceived value. Or a product on a skin board could be packaged into a clamshell and, not only look better, but offer greater protection from damage.

Recently a major snack food manufacturer discovered that the printed polyethylene sack offered numerous benefits over the corrugate trays they had been using for their individual snack items. Not only did the printed sacks cost less than the printed trays but consumers loved the brighter and snappier graphics available on the plastic sacks and thus bought more product!

The brown bag with a handle on it has been around grocery and department stores for decades but the idea of delivering multiple single serve units within a sack just hadn’t caught on in the manufacturing arena. That is, not until high impact graphics were added and a manufacturing system that could be used to package large numbers of sacks within a single shift.

But how did this revolutionary sacking technology and solution evolve?

Aaron Thomas Company, working with the FORMOST Equipment Corporation, took basic bread bagging equipment and re-engineered the loading areas and in-feed designs to handle the loading of multiple single-serve corn and potato chip bags into pre-made printed sacks. The mechanisms necessary to automatically fill the sacks were then fine tuned to neatly pack the sacks with organized rows of product to reduce damage and enhance customer satisfaction.

Later, a process to automatically seal the bags with standard or double heat seals was incorporated as was in-line pass or fail check weighing validation, automatic bag labeling, and multi-wicket sack feeding. It took almost a year to incorporate all the modifications necessary to maximize production throughput and to minimize production costs.

This revolutionary packaging technology is now available in all three of our locations. It has even been co-opted by our client and is used now nationwide in each of their manufacturing facilities! This resulted in our being honored with the prestigious “Contract Manufacturing Supplier of the Year” award in recognition of our efforts and accomplishments.

As you can see, packaging revolutions are challenging but not impossible if the right conditions are met. First, you need a strong vision of how you want your product packaged and the benefits it offers over existing packaging solutions. Second, you need a product that has the volume and longevity to justify the emotional buy-in and capital investment of your contract packaging partners. And finally, you need a contract packager that has the ability to think out side the box… or tray in this case… to get the job done.

Printed Bundle Wrapping Packaging Services

Looking for the “next big thing” in packaging? How about big things in printed bundle wrapped packages!

Food and beverage companies are using colorful graphics to package their large and bulky items in bold new ways. You may already be familiar with trays of bottled water engulfed in printed film bearing the likeness of beautiful mountains or picturesque island scenes. But and more and more products are switching to printed bundle film every day. Soon you may see cans of soup, packs of soda and beer, and even items such as kitty litter bundle wrapped in printed film.

Why? The visual impact the packaging has on the consumer is the driving force behind this new wave of multi-packing. People are buying it.

But is bundle wrapping in printed film right for your product?
 
You will want to examine the cost of using printed film. Minimum film orders are usually in the tens of tons and typical production runs are in the tens of thousands. Also, depending on the packaging, the cost of film may be more or less than your existing packaging solution.

And then you have to consider the impact new packaging could have on your sales. For example, if you sell soda, you may determine that the cost of printed film is more than plastic rings, but the graphic impact may move product off the shelves quicker for just few pennies more.

Hands down the printed polyethylene wins over chipboard and corrugated cases or trays for visual impact. Perhaps by switching to bundle film with a great graphic design, your products will fly out of the coolers and off the pallets faster your competitor’s products that are still packaged in plain-Jane trays or clear shrinkable film. Projections are that club sales are going to skyrocket with products wrapped in printed polyethylene film.

If you are considering new packaging for your product, why not take advantage of the increased billboard area afford by bundle wrapping your multi-packs in printed film? Printed polyethylene makes great looking packages, great point of sale impact, and increased sales.

Printed bundle film has the title of the “next big thing” all wrapped up.