Herr Foods is stocking store shelves with 22-oz. bags of pretzels with Easy Snap closures, the first application of a reclosable bag for salty snacks.

The Nottingham, Pa., snack maker is the second food processor to employ the closure, an alternative to transverse zipper systems for vertical form/fill/seal equipment. Cambridge, Mass.-based New England Confectionery Co. began applying Easy Snap to bags of Necco mints last year.

“Our research tells us that a reclosable snack bag is something people want,” says Daryl Thomas, Herrs’ director of marketing. “We’re going to be very interested in seeing their actual reaction.”

To offset the higher manufacturing cost, Herr is pricing the bags the same as a standard 24-oz. bag. The company was able to retrofit existing vertical form/fill/seal equipment to accommodate Easy Snap. “That makes the closures very doable,” says Thomas. “With the form-and-fill format for snack food bags, there weren’t many options open to us before” to add the convenience feature.

Equipment manufacturer SIG Pack International created Easy Snap. The company recently teamed up with Presto Products Co. to sell food packagers on the system’s advantages.

The closure is formed on line, eliminating the potential for misalignment that exists with zipper closures. It is made from a comparatively rigid material that holds a package open. When a consumer closes the package, the tracks make a distinctive sound when they snap together.

For more information:
Tom Winter, Presto Products Co., 800-265-0750
Ives Yohay, SIG Pak International, 715-243-2237