Industries: Page 734

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Milk questions soy labeling

The National Milk Producers Federation filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration in February seeking to prohibit soy beverages from being labeled as “milk.” Soy drinks are popping up in dairy cases in packaging that closely resembles milk cartons, and NMPF is trying to protect the distinct identity of its product.

March 31, 2000

Dairy

Frost-bitten graphics

As the official ice cream of the St. Paul, MN, Winter Carnival, Kemps’ Below Zero ice cream needed packaging that would exude chilliness. Compass Design (Minneapolis, MN) used frosty colors like shades of blue, gray and white throughout the packaging.

March 31, 2000

Sustainable Packaging

Achievements

Petroleum Packaging Council (Chicago, IL) will fund university scholarships to junior and senior packaging science students at Clemson University, Michigan State University and California Polytechnic State University.

March 31, 2000

Additives, coatings & inks

Domestic acquisitions, agreements

Chevron Chemical Co. (Houston, TX) and Phillips Chemical Co. (Houston, TX) have merged to form a new joint venture co.

March 31, 2000

Labels

Clearly a big change

Bottles of Clearly Canadian® flavored sparkling water donned full-body shrink sleeves last month in an attempt to grab consumer attention. Clearly Canadian swapped its trademark 11-oz, ACL-decorated blue bottle for a taller, sleeker 14-oz clear glass version with a colorful shrink sleeve.

March 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Competition touts top tubes

A shave gel tube that doubles as a razor was named the most innovative among the winners of the 1999 Tube of the Year competition sponsored by the Tube Council of North America (New York, NY).

March 31, 2000

Sustainable Packaging

Texas Instruments saves $8 million going 'green'

Through a combination of source reduction, recycling and converting to reusable containers, Texas Instruments has saved $8 million/year in its transport packaging.

March 31, 2000

Closures

Pints sprout spouts

Pleased with consumer response to threaded, recloseable pour spouts on its 1/2-gal gabletop packages, Johanna Foods has extended its use of the spout to pint-sized cartons for six juice products.

March 31, 2000

Flexible packaging

Borden gets 'smart' with tray

It’s Pasta Anytime™, a Borden Foods creation, is set to debut nationally this June in a patented Smart Cooker™ tray. The microwavable, single-serve product is shelf-stable for nine months.

March 31, 2000

Sustainability

Miller launches, Bud in test

Citing “growing consumer and retailer demand” as its motivation, Milwaukee-based Miller Brewing Co. has announced the nationwide rollout of its plastic barrier bottles for Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Icehouse brands in both 16- and 20-oz sizes.

March 31, 2000

Beverage

Packaging Portalmania

Internet “portalmania” for vertical markets has become the rage, and packaging is no exception. (A vertical “portal” is a site that’s designed to be an independent information source with information on multiple suppliers in a given field or industry.) At last count, there were no less than three big contenders for the packaging portal throne: the Packexpo.com (www.packexpo.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

Net Purchasing: Not Ready for Prime Time

An exclusive survey of Packaging World purchasing readers indicates enthusiasm for buying via the Internet but little actual experience in packaging purchases thus far.

March 31, 2000