Flexibles

Marks & Spencer 'bites' on lined container

In October, renowned U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer launched QuickBite foods in an “insulated” package that keeps food hot without burning consumer hands as they eat the food directly from the container.

December 31, 2001

Bakery/Snack: Page 90

Bakery/Snack

Design: Play-Doh's reformed look

In the spring of 2001, Hasbro released to the market a new look for one of its most established brands. The redesign for Play-Doh carried out by Marketing by Design (Beverly, MA) had three simple goals: reinforce the Play-Doh identity, establish Play-Doh as the brand that offers the best selection of vibrant colors, and provide a model of what kids can create with the colored dough.

December 31, 2001

Conveying & accumulation

Web plus: A dot-com looks for packaging solutions

Overstock.com offers a variety of name-brand surplus merchandise, such as toys, diamond rings, and TVs, for up to 70% off the retail price. Just like a catalog retailer, this Internet retailer must invest in quality packaging to ship products to consumers.

December 31, 2001

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Rules & Regs: Country-of-origin labeling1;again

The Senate Agriculture Committee, by a one vote margin, accepted an amendment to the Farm Bill that included mandatory country-of-origin labeling for fresh red meats, farm-raised catfish, produce, and peanuts.

December 31, 2001

Flexibles

Baking kits display holiday spirit

Betty Crocker has cooked up a timely product for the season: holiday baking kits in four varieties. The kits from Minneapolis, MN-based General Mills are packaged in creative and colorful boxes with precision die cuts. Although introduced last year—and seasonally for Halloween—this winter's kits offer new features.

November 30, 2001

Controls & Machine Components

Wake up and smell the standards!

Attention packaging machine buyers. Take this quick quiz: Are you fed up with trying to maintain increasingly computerized packaging equipment, networks, and plants?

November 30, 2001

Conveying & accumulation

Scale system shines at Diamond

A twin-head, triple-pan scale system at Diamond of California’s Robertsdale, AL, plant reduces giveaway, lessens labor costs, and saves on forklift rental costs.

November 30, 2001

Bakery/Snack

Bonds a hit with Wheaties

As announced October 17 by General Mills, Minneapolis, MN, San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds will be honored with a special Wheaties box to be introduced nationally by around the end of October. "This is a great way to end the season–with a victory, another home run, and now my own Wheaties box," says Bonds. "What more could you ask for?"

October 31, 2001

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Non-GE labels misleading, says CSPI

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has called on FDA to take action against seven food manufacturers for making false and misleading label claims related to the absence of genetically engineered ingredients.

October 31, 2001

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Yogurt producer fills craving for higher throughput

Yofarm reduces waste dramatically with a new auger filler that achieves consistent volume control of yogurt toppings.

October 31, 2001

Bakery/Snack

Anti-tampering legislation proposed

The Product Packaging Protection Act of 2001, introduced by Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), would make it unlawful for third parties to insert written or other material inside a consumer product without the permission of the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer.

September 30, 2001

Flexible packaging

Four-side-sealer homers for Clean Team

Clean Team, a San Diego maker of cleaning card products, speeds changeovers and lowers labor costs with an automated sealer. Pitched area allows for easy filling of liquid cleaning solution into the package.

September 30, 2001

Dairy

Worldwide Food Expo returns

Described as the largest food processing and packaging event in the Western hemisphere, Worldwide Food Expo is expected to draw 35ꯠ to Chicago’s McCormick Place.

September 30, 2001