More than 200 products are now sold in combisafe heat-resistant carton packs, says manufacturer SIG Combibloc.
The packs are designed for chunky long-life food products and can be sterilised by autoclave after filling.
Consumers also prefer the look of the packs which are replacing cans and glass jars for vegetables and pulses, fruit, ready-meals and stews, said SIG Combilbloc.
Ralf Mosbacher, head of Food Europe at SIG Combibloc, said combisafe offer benefits in logistics and for the environment.
”Like all SIG Combibloc carton packs, combisafe carton packs are transported to the food manufacturer’s production plants as flat folded sleeves,” he said.
“This means the most efficient use is made of a truck’s loading volume. Once the carton packs have been filled with the product, a truck en route to distributors is transporting around 95% content, and just 5% packaging.”
Their rectangular shape also means that combisafe packs fill up space on shop shelves about 30% more efficiently that cans, he added.
The carton packs feature four fully printable sides for enhancing brand image, he said.
In addition, their construction is environment friendly, he claimed.
“We make sure the cardboard we process is manufactured exclusively using wood pulp originating from controlled and responsibly managed sources,” he said.
The packs are filled using SIG Combilbloc’s sleeve system and volume-flexible filling machine technology.
A wide range of products can be filled through the use of three modular filling units, including a high-precision multihead weigher.
“After the carton top has been ultrasonically sealed, product and packaging are sterilised in an autoclave,” he added.
“The composite structure of combisafe is specially designed to permit the heat treatment of product and packaging in the autoclave. Along with the cardboard, there is a layer of aluminium (protection from light, external odours and oxygen), and polymer layers (liquid barriers and heat protection).”
He describes the packs as “perfect for all food products that do not flow freely and therefore cannot pass through a pumping system and an aseptic process”.