Packaging Technologies-Dairy Processors

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Sustainable dairy packaging is nothing new. Lightweighting, or source reduction, remains an ongoing process. Container wall thickness is reduced and flexible structures are down-gauged. Source reduction not only conserves resources, but also cuts costs and carbon footprint.

Pack Expo International, hosted by PMMI, Reston, Va., is headed to the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 25 through 27. The event is expecting 30,000 attendees, including 5,000 international visitors from more than 125 countries, combined with 2,000-plus exhibiting companies. It will span over 800,000 net square feet of exhibit floor. In addition, this year the inaugural Healthcare Packaging Expo will be co-located with Pack Expo.

Although bottles, cartons and tubs are widely used, flexible plastic packaging dominates in the global dairy industry. With a market share of more than 27%, it owns a larger share than rigid plastic, paper/paperboard, glass or metal packaging, according to Global Dairy Packaging Market 2016-2020, a report from London-based Technavio.

New packages for ice cream win awards from the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation and the In-Mold Labeling and Decorating Association.

Maximizing product protection, freshness, convenience and shelf appeal govern packaging decisions about dairy foods. These goals are driving interest in aseptic filling, in-mold labeling, single-serving sizes and functional features.

A fair amount of shrink sleeves are entering into beverage and dairy, according to Avery Dennison, Glendale, Calif. Shrink sleeve technology lends itself to customizing and seasonal promotions. Shrink sleeves can also be designed to cover caps, adding a measure of safety and tamper resistance.

At ProFood Tech, The Chemours Co. promoted  a service that communicates that nutritional components in milk have not be degraded by light as the package sits on a retailer’s shelf.

Juustoportti planned to enter new retail markets. When it decided to introduce sleeve-packed cups of yogurt and cottage cheese, the dairy processor went looking for a packaging partner.

Dairy foods and beverages are sold in smaller and more convenient snack-size packaging. You’ll find yogurt on a stick and cheese in single-serve packs. Dairy is even used to make packaging; The USDA has developed a film made from milk protein.