Each year, a small number of exceptional pieces of packaging are honoured at the DuPont Packaging Awards in the USA. Among only 16 packs featured this year was FFP’s Estercook® pack for Asda’s Butcher’s Selection Simply Roast In The Bag Chicken, a revolutionary concept that allows consumers to take home a fully wrapped whole bird and safely cook it in the pack; delicious, succulent, perfectly browned, with raw poultry never being exposed to the air once it leaves the factory.
The DuPont award rewards the work FFP, along with strategic partners including Asda, the packer Faccenda Foods and machinery manufacturer Ulma, did to develop the packaging innovation and the material strategy that ensured that the pack was reliable and safe at oven temperatures, including a series of stringent tests that covered the complete make-up of every component of the packaging. Every packaging manufacturer must, of course, comply with the Food Contact Framework Regulation (EC) 1935:2004, which covers the general requirement to manufacture packaging that does not harm human health, but FFP’s testing went well beyond normal testing procedures to include NIAS (Not Intentionally Added Substances), to offer customers certainty of packaging safety.
Robin Chudley, FFP’s CEO, said: “We have been manufacturing high temperature, ovenable packaging for more than twenty years, both in our Esterpeel lidding range and, more recently, Estercook ovenable flowwrap that is transforming high-profile grocery categories. With that level of experience, plus substantial investment in equipment and processes, we were able to develop exciting new products with a detailed and reliable testing and compliance protocol”.
“The DuPont Packaging Awards program recognizes and honors packaging excellence around the globe,” said Yasmin Siddiqi, DuPont Packaging Awards Program leader. “This year’s honorees demonstrate exceptional creativity in Technological Advancement, Responsible Packaging and Enhanced User Experience. These breakthroughs are revolutionizing the role of packaging and will be a catalyst for inspiring future innovations.”
Amber Eacott, Purchasing Manager at Faccenda Foods: “This has been a high profile, key project showing how collaboration can operate at its best. A new, innovative concept picked up by a strongly engaged customer and brought to fruition by a group of partners working closely together throughout”.
As Mark Armstrong, Packaging Development Manager Procurement Asda House, put it: “The project was a perfect example of collaborative working throughout the entire chain. Machinery manufacturer, printer, product supplier and retailer all working from the same brief with a common goal. Fantastic.”
FFP Packaging Solutions is a leading British flexible packaging manufacturer, specialising in high-quality, colour-managed film and laminate packaging in Partnership with key customers; manufacturers of Estercook high temperature packaging and Esterpeel heatseal topweb lidding films.
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