Special Packaging Solution For Tortilla Chips

Special packaging solution for Tortilla Chips increases shelf life to 90 days

04-Jan-17

Some four months ago, America’s Healthiest Grocery Store, Whole Foods Market approached India’s largest multinational flexible packaging materials and Solution Company Uflex through one of the latter’s long standing clients who had been using special packaging solution from Uflex for its Tortilla Chips.
The Problem Statement of Whole Foods Market – Multi-Layer Kraft Paper Institutional Bags with a BOPP sealant layer were not providing enough barrier to Tortilla Chips from oxygen and moisture. Result: Chips in those institutional packs were turning soggy and rancid in barely 3 weeks or so. Added disadvantages of paper being torn in the supply chain or ruptured by sharp edges of tortilla chips was a double whammy. Fabrication of multi-layer Kraft paper packs in itself is an expensive proposition that requires specialised equipment at the converters’ end with prohibitive capital costs. Printing on paper poses further limitations diminishing the aesthetics of the pack. More annoying was the fact that the Multi-Layer Kraft Paper Institutional Bags of Net Weight 16 OZ (1 LB) 454g had to be cut open from the top for taking the chips out and leaving the consumer with no option other than consuming all of it in one go with no provision for deferred consumption without spoilage.

All these issues compelled Whole Foods Market to look for alternate packaging solution for their Tortilla Chips, and that’s when they were referred to Uflex. Whole Foods did not want to create any confusion in the minds of consumers regarding the look and appeal of its tortilla chips packaging. Moreover being the largest seller of organic food in the US, Whole Foods Market quite essentially wanted to give a paper like organic look to the packaging thereby upholding their brand ethos.
The engineers at Uflex with a clear brief from the client designed a three layered; 12.5 micron coated Polyester / 18 micron BOPP (both sides treated) / 35 micron Polyethylene packaging structure as a 3D flat bottom pouch. Polyester provides excellent barrier from oxygen and also exhibits good thermal resistance owing to its melting temperature that is as high as 150-160 degrees Centigrade. BOPP acts as a strong barrier to moisture. Polyethylene (PE) serves as a sealant layer besides imparting strength and sturdiness to the pouch. To impart a paper like organic look, special registered matte coating was applied on the glossy polyester film.

The pouch is reverse printed and the same machine has the facility of carrying out Registered Top Coating either in matte or gloss thereby rendering a transparent window. A see through window is always a great value addition as the consumers always prefer seeing the product packed inside for making an informed buying decision. A concealed Press-To-Close (PTC) pocket zipper has been provided on the front panel of the 3D pouch with a perforated strip for easy opening and protecting the product for deferred use without any fear of spoilage. An important fact that must be noted is that usually pouches have to be cut from the top using scissors or knives in order to retrieve the snack. This can lead to contamination of food and is therefore not advisable. The PTC slider pocket pouch efficiently obviates this shortcoming. The transformed packaging offers the following clear advantages:
* Shelf life of tortilla chips increased to 90 days;
*Opening the pack is very convenient for the consumers. Small potions can now be taken out from the institutional pack and the pouch could be zipped thereafter for deferred use keeping the quality of chips absolutely intact through the prescribed shelf life;
* The 3D pouch renders a 360 degree branding canvas to the pack as it has five distinct panels. This further enhances the visibility and aesthetics of the pouch at the Point of Sale (POS).