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PET spreads to mayonnaise

Manufacturers looking to stand out from the competition introduce mayonnaise in 32-oz PET bottles. They cite reduced breakage and lower freight costs as plastic's advantages, while cost and shelf life are competitive with glass.

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Glass jars topped with metal lids have for years contained mayonnaise sold at retail. But supermarket shelves are now beginning to alot space for mayonnaise in wide-mouth plastic jars made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Purportedly, economic and shelf life concerns have left PET out of the running for mayonnaise containers in the 32-oz and smaller sizes commonly sold by supermarkets. Many manufacturers and retailers, we're told, believed that glass topped with metal most effectively prevented oxygen ingression. That's important because oxygen can discolor mayonnaise and nullify its sales appeal. To provide sufficient oxygen barrier, it was believed that a PET container would have to be so heavy that its cost couldn't be competitive with glass in these sizes. But those beliefs may change.

At least three companies report that they're packing mayonnaise into PET bottles in sizes of 32-oz and smaller. Two of these are based in the U.S., national private-label manufacturer Martin Gillet, Baltimore, MD, and regional Carteret, NJ, grocery wholesaler White Rose Food Corp. Mayonnaise offerings from these companies are both filled at ambient temperatures. The combination of calcium disodium EDTA as a preservative/flavor enhancer, and the natural acidic quality of vinegar in mayonnaise combat bacterial growth. Both companies report that they had used the preservatives with previous glass jars as well and did not have to make product formulation changes to accommodate PET.

A third mayonnaise manufacturer to switch to PET for these smaller retail sizes is O. Kavli AB in Stockholm, Sweden (see sidebar, opposite page).

None of these three jars should be confused with existing plastic containers for this product: 10- or 12-oz tapered containers that enable consumers to squeeze out product through a dispensing fitment, nor the institutional, #10 sizes sold by some retailers. The new jars use the venerable wide mouth that provides consumers with easy access to the product with a knife or spoon.

Follow the leader?

When it comes to product/package introductions, smaller mayonnaise manufacturers usually follow the lead of national market leaders Bestfoods (formerly CPC Intl.) and Kraft Foods, according to sources we interviewed for this story. Smaller manufacturers can't match national brand companies in staff, facilities or investment dollars for product/packaging R&D. That's why they tend to emulate what sells for those national brands (see sidebar, page 25).

The precursor to these new PET bottles may well be Northfield, IL-based Kraft's 48- and 60-oz rectangular, wide-mouth PET mayonnaise containers that have been sold nationwide since 1990 and '93, respectively. Why was Kraft able to pack mayonnaise in PET so long ago? When asked, the company declined to comment on container economics. Nor would the company say why its 32-oz size remains in glass jars.

This time Martin Gillet and White Rose didn't wait for the national brands to make the first move. Instead, they took the lead, working with a supplier to iron out bottle economics and shelf life concerns.

Both Martin Gillet and White Rose are working with Grafco PET Packaging Technologies (Hanover, MD) as part of a "joint study" (see sidebar, page 24). Grafco tells Packaging World the study involves at least 10 manufacturers. Martin Gillet and White Rose use a 38-g jar with a 70/400 injection-molded polypropylene closure from Phoenix Closures (Naperville, IL), which partnered with Grafco in the study.

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