Ampac, a global leader in the retail, food, pet food, security and medical packaging markets, was recognized for Excellence in Packaging for its Sprout Organic Baby Food pouch, and Environmental and Sustainability Achievement for its Hormel E-Z ZIP pouch from the Flexible Packaging Association.

Ampac partnered with Sprout to provide a more sustainable alternative to standard baby food products packaged in glass jars or rigid cups.  Sprout desired the added convenience of reclosability in case the product was not consumed in one sitting, and an easy open feature to improve access to the product as well as for consumer convenience.  Although the pouch could have been designed to be microwavable, Sprout desired a foil barrier pouch to ensure the consumer would not use the microwave or any other potentially harsh heating method.

Ampac provided Sprout with a recloseable standup retort pouch with photo quality rotogravure printed graphics and incorporated Ampac’s Linear Tear technology for straight and easy tear opening of the pouch.  Ampac also incorporated a retortable recloseable zipper.  The new pouches achieved all of Sprout’s requirements and provide significant savings in shipping and storage weight while also minimizing product breakage versus a glass jar.

Ampac collaborated with Hormel to provide them with a flexible stand-up pouch that uses E-Z ZIP technology – an improvement over a standard zipper pouch. E-Z ZIP features a unique pull-tab opening that allows the user to simply pull away a thin tear strip to access the recloseable zipper.  The package zipper then can be pulled open to dispense product and pressed closed to reseal.  A unique feature of E-Z ZIP is that the zipper closure is accessed without having to tear off or damage the header of the stand-up pouch.

The E-Z ZIP reclosable pouch incorporates improved filling efficiencies, easy opening, tamper evidence, improved dispensing, and improved packaging aesthetics after opening. Branding on the package header is improved which was not previously available after opening. Improved reopening and zipper access, as well as newly available header options were also improved in the stand up pouch format.

According to Sal Pellingra, director of innovation at Ampac, “We are pleased to provide our customers with innovative packaging solutions that provide brand, retail and consumer benefits as well as product differentiation. Working with customers like Sprout and Hormel to design packaging that met specific requirements, while building their brand equity is Ampac’s mission. Winning the Flexible Packaging Association awards is testimony to our success in partnering with customers to bring innovative packaging to the market.”

Ampac
(800) 527-2557
www.ampaconline.com