The future is flexible

Eye-catching packaging that attracts consumers is essential for product launches. But just being attractive isn’t enough — the pack has to protect the contents, be food safe and maximise the product’s shelf life. Also consumers want packaging that is easy to store, easy to open and easy to reseal.

Flexible packaging is delivering all of these attributes. The lightweight and compact flexible packaging systems provide consumer convenience and maximise shelf appeal for a wide range of products from cook-in-pack ready meals through pre-made salads and fresh fruits to a host of snack products.

Flexible packaging extends shelf life by incorporating innovations like modified atmosphere packaging, vacuum packaging, active packaging and retort packaging.

Sustainability

Flexible packaging makes everyday products more resource-efficient by using less packaging and lowering overall environmental impact. One truckload of unfilled flexible pouches can replace 26 truckloads of unfilled glass jars.

Did you know packing 25 L of beverage requires roughly:

• 22 kg glass or
• 2.7 kg rigid PET or
• 1.4 kg aluminium or just
• 0.7 kg flexible plastic?

The variety of flexible packaging formats and laminates available almost guarantees that there is one that will suit your product.

Formats

• GUALAPACK spouted pouch systems — suitable for baby foods, yogurt, beverages, sauces.
• Flat bottom pouches — designed to achieve maximum shelf efficiency with a stable base and compact appearance, flat bottom bags have a front zipper with a wide opening for ease of filling by pouch fillers or semi-automatic processes.
• Zipper stand-up pouches — suitable for dry foods (such as nuts, muesli, rice), pet foods, powdered drinks and mixes.
• Flat bottom bags — suitable for dry foods (such as nuts, muesli, rice), pet foods and coffee.
• Corner spouted stand-up pouches — suitable for sauces and condiments, cooking oil and refill packs.
• Shaped stand-up pouches (spouted and non-spouted) — suitable for water drinks, refill packs, wine, detergents, liquid detergents, sauces and condiments.
• Side seal bags (with easy tear V notch) — suitable for snacks, chips and nuts.
• Stand-up pouches (with valve) — suitable for wine.
• Large format stand up pouches (1.5 to 5 L with dispenser valve) for wines and juices.

Laminates

Laminates can range from a simple cold fill laminate for yogurt, hot fill foil laminate for fruit puree to retortable laminates in clear and foil structures for baby foods.

Laminate options for pouches include:

• Natural Kraft with metalised films
• Natural Kraft with aluminium foil
• White Kraft with metalised films
• White Kraft with aluminium foil
• Matt Film with aluminium foil
• Gloss Film with aluminium foil
• Matt PET with nylon
• Gloss PET with nylon
• High oxygen barrier clear film with nylon

If you are thinking of going flexible it is worthwhile to contemplate the whole packaging system — fillers, packaging materials, pouches and most importantly technology to support the systems.

AUSPOUCH will work with you to provide a total packaging solution and even ‘whole-of-line’ solutions, from receiving raw ingredients to outputting finished, packaged and cartonised product. The company offers a range of filling machines designed to suit all levels of production, from small machines that will fill up to 60 items per minute to larger machines producing 400 items per minute.

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Not just tomatoes

Italian company FENCO specialises in food engineering and processing equipment including:

• Tomato processing lines for producing tomato paste, pulp, peeled and cube tomatoes, as well as tomato re-processing lines.
• Fruit processing lines suitable for all types of fruit (continental, but also tropical and citrus) able to turn the fresh fruit into single strength or concentrated purées, clarified or cloudy juices, nectars, smoothies.
• Evaporators multistage for all the applications, including dairy.
• Aseptic fillers and sterilizers.
• Vegetable processing lines, portioning machines and fresh cut salad fully equipped lines.
• French fries lines.
• Jam, marmalade and candying production lines.
• Milk and dairy fully equipped lines for yogurt, cheese, ricotta as well as condensate or powder milk lines.
• Twist spiral pasteurizing, cooling and freezing systems.
• Fluid and spiral deep-freezing systems.
• In-line blending and formulating units in order to create and thermally stabilize all kind of recipes, blends, soups and formulas.

FENCO equipment is available locally though their Australian partner AUSPOUCH Pty Ltd.