“
Silver Fern Farms decided to re-invent the way beef is sold to consumers in the supermarket and was the first to retail a red meat range in New Zealand to be underpinned by the science-backed Silver Fern Farms Eating Quality System. This system ensures the product meets the highest standards of taste, tenderness and juiciness and carries an Eating Quality (EQ) Master Grade on all packaging. The five premium quality cuts in the range are aged and packed into a multilayered barrier film to give an extended shelf life. The primary packaging also ensures the cuts naturally develop in flavour and tenderness and then reach the consumer in the best possible condition. The vacuum pack ensures the cuts maintain freshness and seal in the juiciness, while providing mess-free access to the perfect portion size product inside.
Choice is the consumer trump card Choice for the consumer is a trump card in the packaging war. The very first branding decision is made based on who the consumer is - the style, design, look and function of the package will follow. If you are chasing the premium end of the market - then your packaging development will be an intense and highly researched process. If you are targeting the bargain end, then the consideration will be less. Take supermarket home brands for example - the packaging reflects the hierarchical place the brand has in the market. At the medium and top ends of the markets - how the packaging looks is going to be key to moving stock off the shelf. Darren McClenaghan of Sealed Air (NZ), a food packaging manufacturer, knows looks are vital, but it’s the functionality, quality and cost of the packaging that dictates final decisions. “But shelf appeal and the ability to attract the eye make a difference.” Darren knows this better than many; Sealed Air is winning award after award for its innovation and quality in packaging. “There are a lot of design factors that come into play when designing packaging and every single product is wrapped in a way that is specific to that item and manufacturer,” he says. Darren reinforces the notion that there is a massive back-story behind every package - what looks like a simple plastic bag holding your favourite food, could in fact be a technological and engineering masterpiece.
New barrier coating improves performance We know that the core function of any distribution chain is to ensure the product reaches the consumer in the best possible shape. This is a particular challenge for packaging in the chilled goods supply chain, where it’s exposed to fluctuating humidity, causing the corrugated paperboard to absorb moisture and eventually fail. This results in costly product losses. Scion, a Crown Research Institute which undertakes research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood products and biomaterial sectors, has recently developed a barrier coating technology that improves the
“
Packaging that looks almost good enough to eat certainly helps product sell. In the recent Pride in Print Awards, Sealed Air won top honours in the packaging category for Fishers Beef Sirloin Wrap. The judges commented that there was such great colour that pictorially, the food is almost life-like.
functionality of corrugated paperboard packaging in humid conditions without affecting the recyclability of the packaging. The new coating protects the paperboard by creating a high moisture barrier around the packaging. This increases the lifetime of the packaging in humid conditions. Being applied over the ink, the coating also provides a high level of gloss that protects package branding, as well as offering good scuff resistance, maintaining the visual impact of a product right through to the end user says Research Leader for Packaging, Lou Sherman. “Package failure in the chilled goods supply chain is a big issue,” Lou says. “The sheer size of the distribution network makes it difficult to measure exactly what percentage of product is lost due to package failure, but it is significant enough for moisture barrier performance to be on most exporters’ wish list of packaging requirements.” Key to the technology’s success is that the coating is applied using the industrystandard flexo printing process. This enables packaging convertors to apply the coating in-house rather than having to hold pre-coated material in stock. In addition, the application method can be used to apply multiple thin layers of coating that both reduces the total volume of coating required and the costs incurred. “This technology will help lightweight packaging,” says Lou. “Less paper will need to be used because the packaging will be more moisture resistant, and therefore less waste is generated. And, the packaging is still fully recyclable. Our barrier coating technology could potentially save costs throughout each step of the chilled supply chain.”
Packaging performance It’s the paradox of modern packaging that you need scissors to open the packaging of your new scissors. Or have you ever wondered why that memory card you just purchased comes in such a large and difficult to access piece of wrap? Anti-theft is the answer, and while consumer frustration at the perceived waste of plastic that goes into it is high - the alternative makes the product very easy to pluck out of its protection and steal. “Unfortunately the amount of packaging we see is a reflection on our society,” Sharon explains. If you have a sophisticated, small and desirable product - then you are going to protect it; ensuring it reaches the cash register and not the bottom of a large pocket. She points out that this is another trade-off. “The packaging ends up proportionately bigger than it needs to be - but like all decisions in this sector, there is always a reason for it.” Other concessions might be to incorporate tamper proof functions, childproof mechanisms, hygienic measures, shelf-ready ability, safety or special needs aspects to the packaging. Nestlé, the world’s largest food manufacturer, is taking special needs very seriously. Called Inclusive Design, it is producing packaging that is easily accessible to more people - regardless of age, disability or physical condition.
www.packaging.org.nz
“
“
A premium range of beef from Silver Fern Farms uses science to ensure the product meets the highest standards of taste, tenderness and juiciness when it reaches the consumer.
“
“
A one-way, soft valve pack allows the carbon dioxide given off by freshly roasted beans to escape, keeping the coffee in top condition.