New preformed pouches squeeze out points of difference
Systems sales manager at pouch-and-machine supplier Schur Star Systems Vince Larsen said that, although the Danish-headquartered company has customers all over Europe, the UK is its biggest market for combined solutions.
"We've noticed that, especially in the current economy, brand owners and packers are less willing to make substantial investments," he said. "But they're still looking for a point of difference, which means the pack has to work harder."
He cited the example of a company filling pouches for Marks & Spencer: "Uniquely, we installed an inline header-card applicator, where the card is applied using hot-melt after filling."
Line speeds and output can be high. "One co-packer filling Roses and Caramels into stand-up pouches for Kraft Foods is using five multihead weighers to feed the line," said Larsen.
But the real innovation seems to be in more complex shape and structure. Schur said it was talking to a major UK frozen foods supplier regarding a version of its Trivet pouch, which combines separate lower and upper chambers. "This could include stock in the base with a steam valve, so that the frozen contents of the upper compartment are steamed in the microwave, flavouring them and making them tender," said Larsen.
Sections can also run vertically, holding different components which consumers can mix on the plate, or which require varying cooking times or methods.
One option with Schur's BowlPack, where food-on-the-go can be eaten straight from the opened out pouch, is for disposable cutlery to be sealed inside a flap above the pouch.
Even though kit suppliers such as Volpak and Bossar have inline pouch form-fill-seal systems, guaranteeing seal quality at high speed can be difficult particularly with retort pouches. Offline pouch making can offer higher line efficiency at the crucial filling stage, says materials supplier Huhtamaki.
