Rexam is putting new beverage can capacity on the market, as it
strengthens its relationship with Red Bull by building a new
wall-to-wall plant in Austria.
A UK mineral water company has launched the first corn-based
biodegradable bottle in that country's market, linking its fund
raising activities with environmentalism.
A new thermoforming, filling and sealing machine for packaging cups
and other containers can result in savings of up to 35 per cent in
material costs, its manufacturer claims.
With biodegradable becoming less of a buzzword and more of a
reality in the packaging business, a machine maker has adapted a
blow moulder for use with corn-based plastics.
Asia Packaging Industries has broken ground on a US$39 million can
factory in southern Vietnam, which is designed to meet rising
demand for packaged beverages in the market.
A drinks company has put out a call for a nanotechnology company to
help it create functional packaging and a new gas release "widget"
using the technology.
The 'iCone' is the big new idea in carton packaging from Elopak,
intended to fend off competition from plastics and provide a new
vehicle for premium soft drinks.
Tetra Pak's own packaging machines could soon be used against it,
after rival group Alternapak claimed it had found a way to run its
own packaging reels on Tetra Pak production lines.
In a move that brings it closer to a key customer, Graham Packaging
has opened a new bottle-making plant in Zoetemeer, the Netherlands,
on site with Royal Numico.
The EU's packaging industry association has called on the European
Commission to crackdown on members states who break the rules under
the bloc's harmonised system of law.
Tetra Pak has rolled out it's A3/Flex packaging line worldwide,
claiming no other carton packaging line around can offer food
producers the same versatility.
A new test that realistically determines how much oxygen will pass
through food and beverage packaging during a product's lifetime
will enable producers to speed up and improve new product trials.
An EU-funded research project has developed micro and
nanotechnology portable devices to detect toxins, pathogens and
chemicals in foodstuffs on the spot.
Faced with the prospect of losing its lucrative market for Melton
Mowbray pies, Northern Foods might get hit again as Cornish pasties
attempt to get the same protection under the EU's geographical
indications system.
A new barrier coating for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
polypropylene (PP) offers a better method of extending the shelf
life of beverages than is currently available according to the
inventors of the technology.
Corn is the operative word in packaging today, with more and more
processors turning to biodegradable materials made from the crop
and other plants for packing their food products.
The European Parliament yesterday approved legislation deregulating
package sizes for most pre-packed products, but excluding staple
beverages and foods.
Tetra Pak has started the worldwide rollout of a stronger but
thinner polymer packaging for liquid products, promising companies
it will help them cut costs and meet recycling standards.
The British pint of milk is unlikely to be at risk when the
European Parliament votes on proposals to change EU packaging laws
for consumer goods this week, says a spokesperson to
www.DairyReporter.com.
Russia's decision to change procedures on excise stamps and import
licences for alcohol has backfired, with several domestic producers
reportedly having to suspend production.
Food companies can now get directly involved in designing the
plastic packaging for their products, through a special workshop
created by Graham Packaging.
Scientific evidence indicates that the presence of the ink chemical
isopropylthioxanthone (ITX) in packaged foods does not pose a
health risk, an EU regulator said today.
A EU food safety committee is meeting in Brussels today to discuss
the contamination of milk and other products with a chemical used
by Tetra Pak in its packaging process.
Kraft Foods has confirmed that it is increasing prices of many of
its products in the United States by an average of 3.9 per cent
because of rising energy and packaging costs caused by higher
global oil prices.
Amcor, the world's largest producer of PET, is pushing for a third
round of price increases this year, while a report forecasts
polymer prices are set to hit new highs next month.
A hand-held headspace analyser is the first in the field to measure
carbon monoxide levels in modified and controlled-atmosphere
packaging (MAP) for case-ready meat, its manufacturerclaims.
A food-contact safe emulsion developed by a joint US and German
company keeps oil, grease and water from penetrating paperboard
packages and helps maintain product freshness.
A new centre-right government in Poland is unlikely to curb the
country's strong opposition to EU sugar reforms as Commission
representatives look for common ground to break the 'no' camp.
