Food Packaging: Pouch adds convenience to value-added poultry
Last fall, the Smithfield, Va., company completed an overhaul of the eight-item heat-and-serve line featuring SimpleSteps vacuum packaging. Unlike the bag it replaces, the package film does not have to be slit before being placed in a microwave. As heat builds up, the vacuum-skin film puffs up like a balloon, then self-vents along the sides and away from the tray’s handles. The large seal area on the polypropylene tray helps reduce the number of leakers.
“It’s clearly given us a point of differentiation by adding to consumer convenience,” says Mark Willes, vice president of prepared foods for Smithfield Packing.