First launched in the UK, the new Heinz soup containers are made of 2.2-mm-thick polypropylene/ethylene vinyl alcohol/white polypropylene. The retortable, microwaveable, easy-open cups were specially developed for Heinz by EDV Packaging, which coextrudes and thermoforms the packaging at its production plant in Barcelona.
The cup structure is designed to tolerate thermal processing/commercial sterilization temperatures (approximately 248ºF retort conditions) that render the soups shelf-stable and provide an estimated 12-month shelf life. The structure also incorporates oxygen, moisture, and UV light barriers to further protect the flavor and quality of the extended-shelf-life soups.
Cup diameter is 31¼2”; height is 33¼4”; and volume is 9 oz. The cups are filled on equipment from Mondini, whose U.S. distributor is Harpak. Transparent, barrier plastic lidding material is hermetically sealed to the filled cup mouth. Ribbing in the cup side panels helps the container resist deformation during thermal processing of the packaged soup and also provides some insulation properties. Printed shrink-sleeve labels and injection-molded plastic overcaps with built-in drinking spouts, both applied post-thermal processing, complete the packaging. The overcaps are supplied by Alcan. —Judy Rice
