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Treated cartons drive insects buggy

AlfaPet recently became the first to use a carton treated with a special coating that repels insects.

Early next year, AlfaPet plans to promote its small-animal food offerings in a specially treated carton that repels insects. The
Early next year, AlfaPet plans to promote its small-animal food offerings in a specially treated carton that repels insects. The

Insect infestation has long bugged manufacturers of grain-based products. From harvesting to packaging, throughout the distribution chain right to the consumer, bugs and their eggs can prove pesty. In recent years, some manufacturers of grain-based animal foods have turned to bag-in-box packaging to negate the problem. This past summer, however, one maker of these products went against the BIB trend, opting for a specially treated carton that requires no inner bag.

In June, AlfaPet, a privately held company headquartered in St. Louis, began using cartons treated with RepelKote(TM), a coating from Pactiv Inc. (Lake Forest, IL). The coating was developed jointly by Pactiv and Progressive Coatings (Shreveport, LA). RepelKote's active ingredient, methyl salicylate, is a synthetic version of oil of wintergreen (see Packaging World, June '98, p. 31). Bugs find the wintergreen scent uninviting.

In June, the Environmental Protection Agency registered methyl salicylate (and RepelKote) for use in packaging materials to control insects that prey on stored food, animal feed and textiles.

Pactiv's St. Louis plant employs a sheet-fed offset press from Heidelberg USA (Kennesaw, GA) to print the AlfaPet cartons in up to five colors. The RepelKote is applied to the printed board on a tower coater. Treated, KD cartons are then shipped to AlfaPet where they're automatically erected, filled and cold glue-sealed on a Clybourn machine from Sasib Packaging North America (Bensenville, IL).

Patience pays off

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