PL Buyer Editorial Opportunity

Packaging Update

Editor’s Note: Any quotes pulled from content can be attributed to Hella Neffati, Marketing Manager, CROWN Food Packaging North America (www.crowncork.com)

Despite a tough economy and rising unemployment rates, U.S. consumers have continued to treat their pets like another member of the family. This affection has translated into interest in products that offer the best nutrition and quality ingredients, resulting in increased sales of premium and super premium brands, particularly in the dog food sector. In answering the call for more healthy options, pet food manufacturers are challenged to deliver products in packaging that helps convey a premium image and maintains flavor and freshness.

Enhancing convenience is one way brand owners can add value to their packaging. Crown’s rigid easy-open and peelable ends, neither of which require a can opener, offer a practical, efficient option.

Crown’s latest development, Easylift™ easy-open ends, features some substantial technology improvements that make every single stage of opening easier. A critical challenge with easy-open ends has been difficult tab access. Easylift™ easy-open ends overcome this challenge by featuring a generous gap between the can lid and tab for easier access to the product inside. Now even consumers with limited mobility, such as seniors, children and the physically impaired, can access pet food can contents more quickly and with greater ease than ever before.

Another development in easy-open technology is in foil sealed ends with a pull-tab, which offer a simple, intuitive way to feed pets on-the-go or accommodate single-serve portions. This system, branded the PeelSeam™ opening system by Crown, consists of a rectangular or round aluminum or steel ring, sealed with a peelable flexible aluminum lid and seamed to the aluminum body. The lid is constructed of aluminum foil laminated with polypropylene film on the inside and lacquered on the outside. The PeelSeam™ lid also features a small tab for easy opening.

These peelable ends are fully compatible with Crown’s range of bowl-shaped cans for the single-serve food market. The bowls have a sleek and modern shape that draws attention on store shelves, helps convey a premium image and provides pet food brands with a competitive edge at point-of-sale. Available in a silver, white or gold external finish, bowl- shaped cans can incorporate advanced surface printing technologies to further enhance visual appeal and extend brand messaging. High-quality print may also be applied to PeelSeamTM ends to maximize the bowl can’s shelf impact.

Both of these technologies are highly compatible with pet food applications. For example, Nestlé Purina Petcare Europe has incorporated Easylift™ easy-open ends on its 400g packages of cat and dog food in The Netherlands and other locations in Europe.