Articles By Alec Italiano
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Private Label Brands Are Booming In Dairy And Snack Foods
1/27/2014
A recent study shows price and value are the main factors for consumers choosing private labels. A new study released by Market Force Information shows that 83 percent of consumers buy private label products if it presents a better value. Dairy products led all products in terms of private label purchases, followed closely by snack foods and cleaning supplies.
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Will Paperboard Oust Oil-Based Packaging?
1/17/2014
Rising oil prices partnered with breakthroughs in printing suggest eco-friendly food packaging may replace PET. Eco-friendly packages are in demand. Over the years, consumers have taken notice to the detrimental effects on the environment of certain substances that do not recycle well. Some of these materials even have a direct effect on human health. Because of this paradigm shift in consumer behavior, materials not normally used in the packaging of food are being reintroduced to the market. A big one in particular is paperboard.
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Innovative Packaging Takes On Food Waste
1/17/2014
Germ-killing films and color-changing packages are among the latest advances in the fight against spoilage in the supply chain. Nothing destroys bottom lines in the food industry quite like wasted food due to spoilage. Whether the waste is coming from spoilage during harvesting — a major problem in many African nations — or during the transportation and consumption processes— a more prevalent problem in North America — innovative packaging solutions are helping to combat the issue.
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Ecolean Is Making Waves In Lightweight Packaging
1/17/2014
New innovations from the packaging manufacturer are lighter and more sustainable than alternatives. Lightweight packaging is no secret to the success of a company’s bottom line. Lighter packaging means fewer raw materials are needed to create the package and it also makes the recycling process a more manageable task. Lighter packaging also saves on transportation costs — providing the quality of that package is not compromised.
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LiquiGlide: A Slick Innovation For The Food Industry
1/16/2014
A new, super-slippery liquid coating could help food processors and packagers reduce costs, boost sustainability. The frustration many consumers feel when trying to get ketchup to flow smoothly out of a glass bottle may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new innovation. LiquiGlide liquid coating creates a super-slick surface within food packages that allows foods with thick viscosity — ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and jelly — to be poured out easily, all the way to the last drop.
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ALPS Updates Two Of Its Leak Testing Machines
1/15/2014
Modifications will boost efficiency at a lowered cost and accommodate a wider range of products. Air Logic Power Systems (ALPS) — a leader in designing and manufacturing leak testing equipment for the packaging industry — has unveiled updates to two of its base-model leak testing machines in the last year. The SS Linear single-station leak tester and the Speed-Glider line received upgrades that subsequently reduced their cost by nearly 30 percent.
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Clondalkin Is Elevating Sustainability In Food Packaging
1/15/2014
International producer of packaging products creates PLA labels adding to the recyclability of certain containers. With a rapidly growing market for environmentally-friendly packaged products, Clondalkin Consumer North America has developed a new label substrate called Polymerized Lactic Acid (PLA). PLA is derived from plant resin (corn starch, sugarcane, and tapioca roots among others), is petroleum free, and is biodegradable. All of these characteristics make PLA an extremely recyclable material.
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Domino Sugar And C & H Sugar Flip Their Lids!
1/14/2014
New flip-top packaging provides easy pouring with less clumping in a stylish, ergonomically-designed container. A new packaging design for an age old commodity, sugar, has recently been unveiled by both the Domino Sugar and C & H Sugar companies. Both manufacturers have shifted from the traditional cardboard cylinders and bags for the natural sweetener, to a new flip-top style container. The design change allows the companies to fulfill consumers’ growing needs of tabletop sugar container. By providing a container designed to sit on a table or counter, the need to continually fill a sugar bowl has been eliminated. Additionally, the lid prevents the product from clumping with its flip-top that snaps shut.
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Ainsley Harriott Brand Soups Get A Boost From Chadwicks Packaging
1/6/2014
Breakthrough packaging technology allows soup a year-long shelf life. The Ainsley Harriott brand just received an upgrade to its packaging design, allowing the company’s soups a shelf life of up to 12 months. This is the first time soup packaged in a tub container has been able to maintain such a long shelf-life. This is all thanks to an innovative packaging solution from Clondalkin Group, a company of Chadwicks, specializing in flexible packaging solutions in the food, dairy, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors.
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Food Labeling: Words Without Regulations
1/3/2014
Terms like “Natural” and “Free Range” currently carry no standards by the FDA. In the food labeling world there has been a lot of debate over what terms the FDA decides to regulate and what terms the agency skips over. The lack of regulations on phrases like “Natural,” “Free Range,” “Locally Grown,” "Made with Whole Grains,” and “Lightly-Sweetened” can leave consumers believing false claims or wandering in ambiguity. Nowadays, consumers demand information and the lack of regulated definitions to these phrases has created some animosity between consumers and label writers.