Page 13 - Food & Drink Business August 2018

E A S Y M I C R O W A V 2E E G G S
With Just Crack an Egg, a Heinz packaging innovation, consumers just add a fresh egg, stir it up, and microwave for a hot and convenient breakfast. “But my, that’s a lot of packaging,” says Pat Reynolds, who describes the innovation as high on convenience and low on sustainability.
Just Crack an Egg comes in four varieties.
ON TREND
New-age novelties
Easy-pop pods, easy-use snack cups, and flexibles posing as cartons were among the global releases highlighted by Packaging World editor emeritus Pat Reynolds at the recent AIP Conference.
3DRINK PODS IN FOUR ‘MODES’
PepsiCo’s new personalised beverage system, Drinkfinity, uses portable pods which consumers can ‘peel, pop, and shake’ to mix with water in a reusable, BPA-free vessel to create drink blends in a variety of flavours. Drinkfinity was piloted in Brazil in 2014, and has now been launched in the US. Each portable Drinkfinity pod falls within one of four ‘modes,’ including charge, flow, renew, and chill. Within each ‘mode’ there are multiple flavour profiles, such as Açaí, Pomegranate Ginger, Elderflower and Coconut Water Watermelon.
4PLASTIC OVER PAPERBOARD
In the US, meal kits are fast migrating to the supermarket shelf, Reynolds says, with some predicting this could be the top-growing category in 2018.
To tap into the growth, California-based meal kit maker Chef’d launched with a unique style of packaging.
“When this clear plastic replaced paperboard, shelf life doubled to 16 days,” Reynolds says.
“The kits have controlled permeability to optimise respiration rates in each food compartment.”
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | August 2018 | Food&Drink business | 13
JUST ADD WATER 1
Smart Cups’ technology is a 3D-polycapsule printing delivery system that can be used across a range of industries. The system turns an almost- empty cup into a self-stirring energy drink with the addition of water. The manufacturer has so far launched a range of four energy drinks: Tropical Recess, Nerdy Lemon-T, Pucker Up Brain Boost and Magna Cum Latte. The flavour materials are printed on the biodegradable cup, and the consumer adds water to activate it and produce the sugar-free energy drink. The cup is made from eco-friendly, 100 per cent biodegradable plant- based plastics, and the stackable design allows for storage efficiency and cost reduction for shipping and delivery.