New Tool: ProSource
Checkout our packaging and processing solutions finder, ProSource.

Getting a handle on salsa packaging

In April, Frito-Lay rolled out its Tostitos™ brand salsa in a 28-oz plastic jug that features an integral handle and a wide-mouth closure. According to David Miller, senior technologist with Plano, TX-based Frito-Lay Corp., the multilayer polypropylene bottle is coextrusion-blown by Continental Plastic Containers (Irving, TX) and incorporates an ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier.

Pw 18088 S Pw 1100 077

“Currently, the package is code dated for nine months, but we have shelf-life evaluation in progress to confirm a minimum of 12-month shelf life,” Miller says. For club stores, Frito-Lay offers a 69-oz salsa in a bottle having similar properties.

“This container is Frito-Lay’s first market entry into an intermediate package size,” Miller explains. “The 28-ounce size is directed toward heavier users of salsa, but those who would never use up the 69-ounce size before it lost freshness.” The 28-oz jug retails for $3.99.

Miller adds that the jug “was designed with the consumer in mind—both for functionality and esthetics.” The wide-mouth opening and handle placement, he says, make it easy for the consumer to pour the salsa when transferring containers or using salsa as an ingredient. The 63-mm PP cap is injection-molded by Kerr Group (Lancaster, PA). Miller says the induction-sealed liner will soon be optimized to provide a more consumer-friendly peelable seal.

Although details about bottle development and the actual packaging process remain proprietary, Miller did reveal that the bottle is hot-filled by an undisclosed contract packager. Smyth (St. Paul, MN) prints the pressure-sensitive paper labels flexographically in eight colors.

New ebook focused on cartoning equipment
Read about the various types of cartoning equipment, how to select the right one, and common pitfalls to avoid. Plus, read equipment advice from CPGs for ultimate cartoning success.
Read More
New ebook focused on cartoning equipment
How Can You Honor a Leader?
Induction into the Packaging & Processing Hall of Fame is the highest honor in our industry. Submit your leader to be considered for the Class of 2024 now through June 10th. New members will be inducted at PACK EXPO International in Chicago
Read More
How Can You Honor a Leader?