Berry packaging continues to evolve, with new technology that includes high-graphic printing to appeal to kids and their parents, along with tamper-evident features for enhanced safety.
Naturipe Farms LLC, Salinas, Calif., is introducing a heat-seal package with peel-and-reseal technology and has added Sesame Street characters to its fruit labels. Naturipe is also encouraging the use of 1-pound clamshells for blueberries.
The new design of the resealable package allows consumers to open the entire top of container and to seal it back up in order to maintain freshness and quality.
“One of the key benefits of our new design is the strength and durability of the package as well as the security of the lidding film, which greatly reduces the opportunity for accidental spills,” said Kyla Oberman, director of marketing for Naturipe.
This new package design aligns with Naturipe Farms’ Cultivate with Care initiative and overall mission to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink packaging, Oberman said.
The tray is made with recycled plastic, requires 30% less plastic than a previous version and is 100% recyclable.
Naturipe Farms has also added Sesame Street’s Grover to the pint and 1-pound blueberry packages. Other Sesame Street characters appear on strawberry and blackberry packages, all as part of the Eat Brighter! campaign, which aims to encourage children to eat more fresh produce.
We are also encouraging the industry to adopt a new 1-pound clamshell for blueberries with overall industry supply expected to reach record highs this year,” Oberman said.
One of the benefits of this new pack size is easy merchandising with 1-pound strawberry packs where the footprint is the same and buy-one-get-one promotion opportunities are feasible.
“The 1-pound clamshell is the leader of the pack,” said Jim Grabowski, director of marketing for Well-Pict Berries, Watsonville, Calif.
“Two-pound clamshells have been getting stronger the past couple years, and there’s been an increased demand for 2-pound clamshells on a regular basis, too.”
According to Grabowski, retailers have found that a 2-pound pack can sell on a regular basis. People can use 2 pounds of strawberries, for example, and that runs a larger ring through the register.
“This time of the year, with good, promotable volumes out of the East and West, larger packs are much more in play,“ said Tom Richardson, vice president of global development for The Giumarra Cos., Los Angeles, “and that should be the case from now until the end of the domestic season.”
The Packer
05/07/2015
