They may stand up, but they don't deliver innovation
Dynamic growth in the use of stand-up food pouches masks a reluctance to innovate in materials and equipment technology.
While many of today's consumer packs are produced on form-fill-seal (FFS) lines, this remains the exception rather than the rule in pouch filling. Food and beverage market director at Amcor Flexibles, Mike Carroll said: "The difficulty is in achieving the necessary seal integrity at speed. You need a certain sealing time to do this."
US converter Ampac Flexibles goes even further. Innovation and marketing director Sal Pellingra said: "If a firm's core competence is food, it only adds complexity when it has to learn packaging, too. Premade pouches are the best way to go. That way, the food manufacturer only has one seal to worry about."
Pellingra quoted the example of the petfood industry, where major manufacturers started in premade pouches, moved to FFS, and have since moved back to premade packs for quality assurance and line flexibility. "If you think of a retort pouch, for instance, if something goes wrong, you've got a lot of cost there," he said.
Despite the availability of silicon oxide (SiOx) and aluminium oxide (AlOx) barrier films, there has also been a modest move away from foil laminates for high-barrier and retort applications. Huhtamaki, for instance, said almost all of its retort pouches incorporate a foil layer, maintaining that foil is necessary for such heat processes.
But Canadian converter Peel Plastics said new SiOx, AlOx and similar materials have been engineered for the retort market. Vice president for business development, Steve Coulsen said: "Many converters have made large investments in their own lines for foil."
The newer oxide and ethyl vinyl alcohol barrier materials are expensive. But, to some extent, this can be offset by reductions in the complexity of the film.
Ampac pointed out that while foil may be in the customer specification, it might not be strictly necessary. Customers often prefer to overspecify and play safe than invest.
