Sandoz coex bottle protects heart medication (sidebar)

The gold award winner in the food category was Dayton Hudson's stand-up pouch for its Litt'l O's, supplied by Berman Bros., a division of Caliber Packaging (Chicago, IL). Introduced last November, the product is a new addition to the popular Frango® family of chocolates, sold in Marshall Field's and Dayton Hudson's stores. "Litt'l O's are really geared for personal consumption, rather than gift-giving," says Robin Ayers, associate buyer for Minneapolis, MN-based Dayton Hudson. The miniature "O"-shaped Frangos are sold in 3- and 11-oz stand-up pouches that display well on store shelves. A zipper permits easy reclosure. Berman Brothers worked with Dayton Hudson in developing the package for the new product. Contract packager Unique Packaging (Oakbrook Terrace, IL) packages Litt'l O's on form/fill/seal equipment at speeds of 45 to 60 bags/min, varying with package size. It uses a laminated rollstock, comprising 48-ga polyester and 3-mil linear low-density polyethylene from a variety of suppliers. The polyester layer is gravure reverse-printed in four or five colors, depending on the variety. Presto Products (Appleton, WI) supplies the LDPE reclosable zipper, which has a coextruded ethylene vinyl acetate skirt for better sealing onto the bag film. Horizontal perforations make initial opening easy. Dayton Hudson estimates shelf life at one year, unopened. Pouch graphics, designed by Murrie Lienhart Rysner (Chicago, IL), convey a fun, yet sophisticated look, says Sheldon Rysner:"It's a highly upscale M&M." "We've had great success," says Ayers. Dayton Hudson plans to expand the line with a Cookies and Mint version, to be introduced this summer. Currently available in mint and raspberry flavors, Litt'l O's retail for $1.75 for the 3-oz package and $6.00 for the 11-oz package.