Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Packaging innovations keep Sargento one step ahead

March 22, 2003




Between focus groups, contract negotiations and machine engineering, it took Sargento Foods Inc. and Pactiv Corp. a year and a half to bring slider-style zipper closures to grocers' dairy cases. But all that development work is paying off with strong consumer sales and retailer enthusiasm for a packaging innovation that promises to sustain the 6 to 12 percent annual growth that has occurred in the shredded cheese category for the last five years.

National distribution of 8-oz. shredded cheeses was completed in July. They join earlier rollouts of 12- and 16-oz. packages. The convenience feature eventually will replace zipper closures on other Sargento cheese products.

"Minimally, it's going to raise the bar for the category and increase awareness of slider technology," according to Brad Rostowfske, senior business manager at Sargento, a packager and marketer of cheese products. "It also could drive new growth in other categories of the store if the technology is applied to value-added products."

Pactiv retrofitted Sargento's KBI horizontal form/fill/seal system with a unit that applies Pactiv's Slide-Rite closure before film reaches the folding board. The system runs at 50 to 70 bags per minute, depending on the product. Pre-made bags were an option that was rejected as too costly and disruptive to the operation, Rostowfske says. "We didn't raise the price of the new package because part of our mission is to raise value."

The Plymouth, Wis., firm has done such a good job of raising value over the last 46 years that it has grown from a small regional player to a national force with $400 million in net sales. Observers credit Sargento with inventing shredded cheese, a $1.8 billion category that didn't exist until company founder Leonard Gentine developed a nitrogen gas-flush system in 1958. The introduction of pegboard merchandising in 1969 was another Sargento breakthrough, but the first zippered closure in 1986 was arguably Sargento's most revolutionary change.

Zippered closures elevated Sargento to the No. 2 player in shredded cheese, despite having fewer skus and less distribution than the market leader. Sargento has 11 percent share vs. 24 percent for Kraft.

Slider-style closures also are produced by Presto Products and Zip-Pak Resealable Packaging, but Sargento selected the Pactiv system because of strong consumer preference for enclosed zippers with superior tamper evidence. Sargento has a long-term exclusive on Slide-Rite in the cheese category.

Packaging extends apples' shelf life
Sliced apples are the Holy Grail of fresh-cut produce, and a small start-up processor from Minnesota may have found it.

For at least 20 years, food scientists have sought to arrest browning and extend the shelf life of sliced apples. The growing market for convenience foods has accelerated those efforts. Some major processors have stumbled while attempting to tap the apple's potential, but Rochester, Minn.-based Reichel Foods has come up with upscale packaging and processes to extend shelf life.

The firm introduced Dippin' Stix two years ago because it needed an application for idle packaging material. Continued packaging and processing refinements have extended the product's refrigerated shelf life to 42 days.

"We felt quality packaging was as important as the quality of our product," explains founder Craig Reichel. Two-compartment thermoformed trays hold the apple slices and a dollop of caramel sauce. Lid stock with an antifogging additive is heat sealed to the tray. The 4-oz. package retails for $1.

The Reichel product contrasts with Tree Top Inc.'s 12-oz. polyprinted bag with a zip-strip closure and a 21-day shelf life. Both Tree Top and Reichel dip slices in a solution of water, calcium ions and ascorbate ions from Mantrose-Haeuser, Westport, Conn., but Reichel's packaging also supports a gas flush.

Research by the Washington Apple Commission suggests 84 percent of consumers would buy sliced apples, and two thirds of baby peeled carrot buyers would prefer sliced apples as a snack item.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions May 2025

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

More Videos

Popular Stories

Vilter IHP in plant

Industrial Heat Pumps: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Now and the Future

FMTE Formed by Four Food Manufacturing Companies

Coalition Unites Europe’s Food Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment Sector

Butterfly pea flower

FDA Approves Three Food Colors from Natural Sources

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 17, 2025

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ State of the Cold Chain

Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • One step ahead of the udders

    See More
  • Food Packaging: Innovations in flexible packaging awarded

    See More
  • The World of Packaging Under One Roof

    See More
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!