From a design standpoint, the cups convey the feeling of something natural, as if the food is held in a flower or some other round, organic shape that is as attractive to babies as it is to parents. No ribs on the bottom or sides make it easy to spoon out all the contents. And a peelable barrier film makes the cups easy to open.
On the technical side, the barrier structure—which includes DuPont’s high-temperature-resistant Bynel as tie layers—prevents oxidation and product degradation caused by ultraviolet light. Yet the plastic is fully pasteurizable, transparent, and microwaveable. Shelf life at ambient temperatures is one year.
As for manufacturing efficiency, Nestle, EDV, and Mondini (the supplier of the cup filling/sealing machine) made sure that, even though the Mon Potager cup has a different shape than the cup for Coeur de Saveur, both cups have the same shoulder configuration to make them fit smoothly in the packaging line.
Cost of the container, described by EDV as “100% recyclable,” is said to be competitive with glass or metal. A key advantage of the plastic containers is that they nest.
Nestle says 2005 should show a 25% increase in sales over 2004, the year the new products in their award-winning containers were introduced. —Pat Reynolds
