Everyone wants to live in a sustainable world.  This includes being environmentally responsible in our work every day.

In the flexible packaging industry, most of the sustainability efforts tend to focus on materials.   Designers and researchers are always searching for materials that come from renewable sources, are reusable in some way, can be easily recycled, or are compostable and/or biodegradable.  A great deal of effort is also concentrated on reducing the overall amount of packaging by down gauging as well as eliminating layers and environmentally unfavorable materials.

While these efforts are all beneficial, an often overlooked opportunity for sustainability in flexible packaging is the manufacturing process itself.  To manufacture flexible packaging in the most sustainable manner possible, one can utilize solvent-free adhesive lamination technology, also known as solventless lamination.  The laminating adhesive used in this process is a two-component polyurethane.  These two components must be mixed together in the appropriate way to form a useful adhesive that will bond the material layers to each other, forming a flexible packaging substrate.  The manufacturers of these adhesive components control the viscosity properties of the final product in such a way that solvents are not required to maintain the material as a liquid; hence, solvent-free.

How It Works

Solventless lamination technology utilizes a computer controlled Meter, Mix, Dispense Unit (MMDU) that continuously measures a precise amount of each component, then mixes and dispenses small amounts of the solvent-free adhesive into the laminating equipment.  This differs from the traditional lamination method in which large batches, up to 55 gallons at a time, of adhesives are premixed for the manufacturing process; this can lead to excess waste.

The MMDU dispenses the adhesive into a laminating machine specifically designed to run this type of adhesive.  The laminator applies the adhesive and combines the two layers of materials to form the flexible packaging lamination.  Since there’s no solvent to drive out of the adhesive, no overhead ovens are required for drying the adhesive.  The two materials are combined, wound into a roll, and the adhesive is allowed to crosslink (or cure) for a specified amount of time before moving to the next manufacturing stage.

This lamination technology is far more sustainable than the traditional adhesive lamination methods for three very important reasons:

1. Reduced Waste. Only the amount of adhesive needed at the time of lamination is mixed and dispensed. Since the adhesive is mixed continuously, there’s no excess and very little waste.  When the lamination equipment is stopped, the adhesive mixing also stops thus, drastically reducing adhesive waste.
2. Energy Savings. Since there’s no solvent that needs to be driven out of the adhesive there’s no need for an overhead drying oven. The result is a significant energy savings in natural gas.  Additional energy savings include reduced electricity usage since there’s no need for large blower motors to circulate the hot air inside drying ovens.  There are further natural gas savings because the solvent-laden air doesn’t need be passed through a secondary thermal oxidation process to destroy the solvents before the air is released to the atmosphere.
3. Lower Material Usage. Solvent-free adhesives tend to use lower coating weights when compared to other adhesive lamination techniques, again resulting in fewer pounds of materials used for the same amount of packaging.

The solvent-free adhesive lamination technology is a highly sustainable manufacturing method due the benefits of drastically reduced waste, lower material usage, and large energy savings.  The large reductions in energy usage can be related directly to significant reductions in the release of carbon compounds to the atmosphere.

This is an example of just one of the many technologies that are available in the manufacturing process to improve sustainability, while still producing useful and safe flexible packaging structures. To learn more, contact your local AWT Representative at http://www.awtlabelpack.com/contact/

The use of flexible packaging continues to evolve as new film structures and applications come on –line.   When you visit any retail or grocery store, there are plenty of examples of Brand companies using flexible packaging for their product package instead of rigid containers such as a standard box, jar or can.

Cost savings play a major role in making the switch to flexible packaging.  There are potential savings not only in the cost of the package itself, but also in shipping and warehousing of film/pouches compared to, say, cans.  Due to rigid container weight, size and rigidity, it’s inevitable that cans are going to take up more space in a semi-truck than flexible film/pouches.  With cans, you ship the air in the open can and losing the area between the cans, whereas when shipping film or pouches, they can be stored flat, fitting higher quantities in the space. This reduces the number of trucks needed to ship supplies into the filling manufacture as well as reduces resources needed for warehouse space. Even when pouches are filled, the changing shape of the filled product requires less space than cans, so the cost savings continue when shipping the final package to the store.  Flexible packaging should not only be considered for convenience to the consumer, but also as a cost savings to the manufacturer. In many cases, the Retail Store can inventory more flexible packaged products in the SKU location than rigid containers, leading to a reduction in stocking frequency costs.

Sustainability–Light and Flexible Packaging

Charles D. Yuska, President and CEO of PMMI, stated that the increased focus on sustainability is driving more demand for energy-efficient filling and closing machines that support flexible packaging materials.

More Label Real Estate is needed to communicate Brand Benefits and Product ingredients

Further, flexible packaging provides “360 degree” package real estate to promote the product and brand!  An interesting statistic that Mr. Yuska also mentioned: “37% of U.S. consumers find it important to understand ingredients on food labels while 91% believe that products with recognizable ingredients are healthier, and the rise in demand for organic food has fueled a more than 10% growth in this sector.”  Food manufacturers must act accordingly to meet the evolving customer needs and create foods with recognizable ingredients.  This means the preservatives that are unrecognizable and generally extend shelf life should be replaced with packaging materials and technologies that can counter the removal of these preserving ingredients. An example of new technology like this would be using High Pressure Processing (HPP) which extends shelf life for fresher, safer foods.

The growing demand for products packaged in flexibles is largely driven by Millennials.  Millennial consumers are always on the go, convenience-driven and as a result, are avid purchasers of single serving meals, pre-cooked meals, and meal kits. All of these foods fall right into the capabilities of flexible packaging and pouches. One of the fastest growing areas is snack foods, both in terms of items available at the market and those in flexible packaging, and it just continues to grow. Have you noticed that when shopping for a bag of chips, nuts, granola, cheese, or energy bar, looking down the aisles of these growing sections in grocery stores and gas stations, the choices seem endless!

Moving forward, I see flexible packaging expanding more into nonfood items, especially in liquids. Pouches will continue to replace bottles and boxes of items like laundry detergent, cleansers and such.  We already see more cleaning supplies in wipes form and packaged in flexible films instead of tubs.  Pouches for liquids is one of the fastest growing areas in both food and nonfood areas.  Just look at the baby food section at a grocery store!  Instead of rows of glass jars, you see plastic containers. In the toddler section, a lot of food is in pouches with a spout and the kids can feed themselves!  Always on the go, like I mentioned before! Will canned soup and vegetables be next?  After all, the flexible film technology is there.  Pouched refills can be bought for house cleaning supplies, body washes, shampoos are already in the stores, and I see it growing even more. How long will it be before that refill pouch shrinks down to be the everyday use package, replacing the bottle entirely?

To look even farther out into the future I would suggest looking toward packaging in Asian market.  Many of their food and beverage items are already in flexible type of packaging.  This is evident when viewing the selections in the vending machines.  The products for sale in them are convenient, single use and mostly packaged in flexible films.  With the Global Economy continuing to grow, so will the packaging influence from other regions to the manufacturers in the US, along with the acceptance of the consumer.

Keep thinking outside of the “Box” and into a pouch! 🙂

Source–Industrial Packaging–Packaging Trends To Watch For 2018  David Roberge on October 5th, 2017

Charles D. Yuska, President and CEO of PMMI.   PMMI Media Group is a market-leading B2B media company that produces information for processing and packaging professionals, bringing together solution providers and end-users and facilitating connectivity throughout the supply chain.

Archive

Labeling Requirements

In Addition to clean labeling, 2018 is the current set year for the transition to new FDA nutritional labeling regulations for foods. Understanding the FDA regulations for food labeling requirements is an absolute must. Know what nutritional content for the ingredients in your food product, the serving size, expiration dates and the placement requirements for your package.  The FDA began updating the nutrition labeling guidelines for the first time in 20 years, and if your product is already on the market, it is in your best interest to plan on aligning your nutrition labeling with the updated rules soon.  Make sure you are clear on what is required to be on your packaging and labeling before you go to market with new foods. If you aren’t confident in compliance, finding a food labeling consultant is never a bad idea. Though the FDA has pushed back the new labeling requirement deadlines a few times already (and it looks like it may be doing so again), it is better to err on the side of caution and be prepared.

As new medical devices are introduced to the market in ever-increasing numbers, it also becomes increasing critical to have effective, concise, brand identity-oriented messaging on their labels and packaging.  Between sterile barrier issues, tamper indicating features, and FDA mandated label information, ensuring that the label and package both complement and advance a device manufacturers brand identity becomes more difficult and problematic.  That’s why a label printer with industry experience and a team in place who knows how to balance the competing issues is critical for quality, cost effective, and compliant labeling systems.

When I first got started in the industry decades ago, function and compliance were pretty much the overriding features of many device labels.  Much like the story of railroad tracks being almost the exact same width as Roman war chariot wheels, patient label sets are still almost all a half inch tall per unit. Why?  Dot matrix printers printed 6 lines of info per inch and patient labels needed three lines.  One of the first attempts of making a label for a medical device that actually had some decent graphics on it was the Medtronic Spectrax line of pacemakers circa 1980 or so. It was a stretch for we flexo printers because not only was the harvest / sunset motif printed in fairly complex (for the time) four color process, but it was also perforated and had pinfeed holes for the above mentioned dot matrix printers.  Because of issues of that nature, getting input from your label supplier on what exactly can be achieved using the current technology is critical.  A confession: At the time I may have not been the best guy to ask about color and marketing issues.  In a meeting, a couple of the design / marketing types keep talking about the color teal.  I will admit to having had no clue at that time as to what the hell color teal was and asked for help.  When one of the incredulous designers said, “You don’t know what teal is?” I thought the question was posed in a bit too condescending of a manner and told him that I had harvested and eaten a number of blue wing and green wing teal ducks over the years and had to guess it was some sort of blue /green blend.  This provoked a fairly even split of hilarity and incredulity among the meeting attendees, but it was actually kind of fun.  I am still not the go-to guy by any means on that kind of thing, but we have the people on the aforementioned label team who are.

As brand identity becomes more sophisticated and important, is also has more and more of an impact of labeling, especially with real estate being at a premium.  Corporate branding and thick guides that are published on correct and proper usage of logos on printed media are now the norm.  ‘Making it pretty’ is not that simple even on food, hard goods, and consumer packaging but on terminally sterilized medical device packages it is significantly more complex. Sometimes I think it is instructive to think of certain processes backwards.  When I teach rolling as a sea kayak instructor, I always begin with the position a person is in when they are coming out of the water and back to upright.  It just seems to work better because if people know what it feels like to successfully complete the roll at the end, it becomes easier to visualize when going over into the water on the front end.  With a device package, the “finish” is usually when the shelf carton hits the garbage in pre-op and the device gets dumped from the tray or pouch into the sterile field.  A number of nurses panels have proven that the only thing the OR nurses really look at is whether it is indeed the correct device and that package integrity is maintained.  Going back a step from that is the warehouse in the hospital that needs everything clearly marked and legible for storage.  One more step back to hospital sourcing and we begin to find brand identity to differentiate between competing devices and put the device manufacturers expertise and reputation at the forefront.  Going further back to stores or finished goods inventory at the med dev manufacturer and legibility and ease of picking product are important.

The other important item is when devices come back from the hospital for restock.  A robust and well-designed tamper indicating label on the packages can save serious dollars by preventing unnecessary repackaging and resterlization costs.  On the manufacturing floor, ease of adding variable data, be it via thermal transfer or laser printing, is very important for good throughput on the line.  Which brings us to the genesis of the whole process, label design.

Design for a new device label should involve all the players from the design engineers, packaging engineers, marketing and branding, regulatory affairs, and (sometimes forgotten) the people who are actually going to have to execute the design, your friendly label printer.  If we label printers actually have that 2” thick ‘corporate style guideline’ we can help to incorporate those guidelines into a functional package.  If you want a good yet cynical overview of this process, read my Label Haiku blog post from about four years ago.  Things have not changed much, but we have all learned how to operate and gain some elbow room in the haiku situation.  Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings would tell you he wasn’t mean or vindictive, he was just trying to create some room to operate efficiently.  One of our more effective techniques to create room within corporate guidelines (other than elbows and butt ends) is the rapid prototyping process.  With a combination of digital printing and magnetic die tooling, we can create samples of the label project on the exact material with the exact diecuts.  This is both cost-effective and can compress the timeline of getting the finished product to market.  Someone one told me those two things were fairly important, haha. Extended content labels can increase the amount of text and verbiage and create that needed extra space as well.  Symbols, both EN 980 and ones created by the device manufacturer, can also be very useful for space conservation.

If the project managers, engineers, and marketing folks at the device manufacturers can put their heads together with the our AWT project managers, engineers, and prepress / press experts, the combination is pretty much as unstoppable as Gordie Howe planted in the crease in his prime. We have a process in place, a successful process over the years, and are ready to help create a cost-effective and timeline-friendly terminally sterilized device package.

At AWT Labels & Packaging, we don’t simply print labels and flexible packaging; we also provide a customized and personalized experience for our customers. We understand that each packaging project is different and because of that, our experienced sales team and project managers work hand-in-hand with our research and development team to ensure that all new label and packaging requirements are executed seamlessly. When it comes to selecting the most effective materials, our sales team and project managers collaborate with AWT’s dedicated sourcing experts for recommendations.

Have new product launches or product line roll outs? We can help organize the timing and delivery to your designated production facility.

Struggling with selecting the right material construction? Are you holding a finished product sample of a label or flexible packaging construction that you need to replicate, but don’t know how it’s composed? We can help! It’s not uncommon for our customers to begin a project in which all they have to go on is a physical sample, without knowing how it came to be in the first place.  Fortunately, our sales team, project managers and R&D team collaborate to serve as “detective scientists” who can dissect the structure and crack the code on its composition.

Need prototypes? We have you covered! Once the design and materials are confirmed, we can take your finished graphics and print (or simply print blank) mockups and prototypes to give you a feel for the application before the entire project goes to print.

Need troubleshooting help? If you’re stuck with inventory of previously printed containers with outdated information on them, our team can engineer a shrink sleeve with updated graphics to make the product salable. Also, if your current labels or flexible packaging structures simply aren’t functioning properly, our team will help you identify the problem’s origin and will pose a solution.

Have a specialty label/flex pack request? Our business development team oversees labels and flexible packaging projects for many markets, including medical, household, beauty, food and beverage, OEM/industrial and specialty. Your unique challenge is our exciting opportunity!

Need to hit an exact color or know what the “perfect” color will look like on your material? We’ve got you covered! We will provide ink drawdowns and suggestions on how to achieve your color.

Beginning a new label or flexible packaging project can be overwhelming if you don’t have experienced and dedicated support to help execute the project. At AWT Labels & Packaging, we pride ourselves in our ability to strategize, organize and have fun while helping your team through the label/packaging conversion process. Contact us to get started on your next project.

Sustainability is a real movement for change, both in what we do and how we look at things. The earth has limited resources and as its inhabitants, it’s our responsibility to reduce our negative impact on these resources. AWT is committed to helping create a sustainable world not only by implementing eco-friendly practices within our building, but also in the label/flexible packaging solutions we provide to our customers.

At AWT, it’s not only about maintaining the environment. It’s also about economic, financial and social responsibility. They go hand-in-hand, playing an integral role in how we run our business, make decisions and live our lives. Did you know that reducing energy usage can significantly reduce utility expenses? Plus, the more people get on board with using ecofriendly materials, the more the costs will go down to buy said materials.  AWT is focused on sustaining our environment, and we employ several practices that reduce our impact:

• Work with suppliers to identify low-weight films and liners
• Provide compostable label material options—materials designed to compost quickly, completely and safely (some even made from corn)—when applicable
• Use LED lights on many of our presses (over 55% energy savings)
• Designed & executed reusable shipping carton programs —estimated 9,000+ cartons saved annually
• Offer solutions for label liner recycling
• Award-winning labels using PLA (polylactic acid) corn-based films
• Post-consumer recyclable films
• Digital plate-making, eliminating the need for films/negatives
• Recycling poly films used in manufacturing process or from raw materials
• Active programs for metal, plastics and corrugated recycling
• Reusing boxes and plastic cores
• Recycling liners/printing waste through qualified recycling suppliers
• Water-based inks, avoiding toxic chemicals
• Lean manufacturing, creating efficiencies and reducing waste in the manufacturing process
• Zero waste to landfill
• Participate in annual energy audits

As a flexographic printer and converter, AWT is committed to ensuring that operations are environmentally sound and that all relevant regulations are applied.  In fact, AWT’s passion for creating an environmentally conscious business has earned us “Great Printer” status by the Printing Industry Midwest, for meeting and exceeding their environmental audit points. Our commitment to reduce our impact on the environment continues to grow daily.

Contact us to see how we can help with your next eco-friendly project!

Many organizations struggle with the best approach to designing complex film structures for flexible packaging.  Complex structures are required because there is no single polymer or material that is ideal for all situations; one must combine the best properties of several materials in order to provide an optimized structure for each packaging situation.

Just as there are numerous tools and methods for solving quality issues, there are also many methodologies for the design process.  One such method for designing an optimum flexible packaging structure entails four steps: Identify, Design, Optimize, and Verify.  Most flexible packaging converting companies will have expert packaging professionals who are skilled in this process and can provide assistance. 

IDENTIFY

The first step is to identify the packaging issues, define the problem and summarize the package objectives.  What are the critical characteristics that the flexible packaging film structure must provide?  The most common demands are for packaging structures that deliver barrier properties to protect the contents from oxygen, water vapor, light, or aroma transmission.  Frequently, there are special requirements for use on high-speed packaging lines where the flexible packaging film must provide sealing properties tailored to a particular packaging line.   Is the packaging environment difficult to manage?  For example, a plant producing and packaging roofing shingles has severely high temperatures and dust exposures which can make sealing of the package difficult.  Does the flexible packaging need to hold aggressive compounds that could degrade the packaging over time?  All of these parameters must be documented and the appropriate materials selected to address each.

DESIGN

Once all of these critical factors are identified, the design phase begins with the selection of materials that address each parameter.  As substrates with the desired properties are selected, the designer must determine the best method of assembling the various and sometimes incompatible material layers.  There are multiple lamination techniques for joining the substrate layers. Also available are combination substrates, which achieve unique properties through the coextrusion of films with multiple, distinct polymer layers.

OPTIMIZE

After the material layers have been defined, the designer must optimize the structure so that it can be produced with the manufacturing equipment available.  The converting operation will have specific equipment available within their manufacturing base.  If a particular lamination method is not available internally, then the converter may need to outsource that portion of the packaging film assembly to a subcontractor.  For example, the best lamination method might be extrusion lamination and the converter only has adhesive based lamination available.

This is also the stage where the costs of materials and converting are evaluated and alternatives are identified.  The proposed packaging film structure must be within the original parameters established with regards to price, availability, and any other constraints as defined by the customer.  If the customer requirements are satisfied, the process is ready to move into the trial and testing phase.

VERIFY

In the last phase, the converter needs to verify the design by actually producing some trial materials.  These will become the flexible packaging samples used to determine if the design criteria established in the first steps are satisfied.  The converter and the customer will perform qualification testing (shelf life, barrier, sealing, etc.) as well as accelerated aging and any other fitness for use tests as defined by the customer.  It is also time to test the film structure on the customers packaging lines.  Again, a set of acceptance parameters are defined to provide evidence that the packaging film functions within the established packaging equipment performance criteria.  Once these steps are complete, it will be time to move into larger size trials followed by the scale-up and commercialization mode.

The development process outlined above may seem simple, but there are many potential pitfalls and areas where adverse situations could occur.  This is the primary reason that AWT provides access to seasoned flexible packaging experts who can guide customers through the development process to yield optimum results in the shortest possible time frame. Contact Us to get started.

I’ve heard and witnessed this happening countless times: the instruction or direction for use booklet (IFU/DFU) moving freely around inside of the medical device package during transport and consequently, punctured the sterile barrier of the medical device. Now, not only is the device potentially no longer usable and expensive to replace, but worst of all, your customer needed to use that device today!  Ugh.

The good news is you can avoid such a travesty moving forward … by simply converting IFU/DFU’s to onserts. Yes, it’s that easy!

But wait, what’s an onsert?

An onsert, also known as an Extended Content Label (ECL), is a booklet that is affixed to a pressure sensitive label on a package. These booklets provide extra space for additional information that is needed, and avoids having to make several separate labels.

Other benefits of using Onserts:

• You can identify where on the package the IFU/DFU will be located, which will ensure quick, easy and consistent access.
• Assemble Medical Device packages in advance and localize as needed! By applying the onsert outside of the sterile barrier, you can include the latest IFU content and avoid unnecessary rework and product re-sterilization and perhaps more production efficiencies for the manufacture.
• Many options are available in designs, adhesives, papers, and laminates.
• Will your product be used internationally? Instead of printing multiple IFU/DFU’s with associated sku’s or language configurations, one onsert can be utilized.

How to get started:
Contact the experts at AWT! We’ll discuss your needs and work together to develop a game plan that’ll get your project to market on time and on budget. AWT specializes in unique, innovative and demanding label and packaging solutions for medical, industrial/OEM, food and beverage, personal care/health & beauty, household and specialty markets.

More than 35 years of experience has taught us a few things – and helped us to become the most advanced provider of custom packaging, labeling and converting solutions in the country. From eye-catching consumer labels to medical device applications that can stand up to sterilization, we have a unique blend of precision processes, quality systems and research-based ideas that will meet your needs –  no matter what challenges you bring to the table.

Labels on beauty or personal care products have a unique opportunity to draw more visual interest on the store shelf than other products in, say, the insect repellent spray section of the store (no offense to bug sprays). If a beauty or personal product label has a dynamic and visually engaging design, not only will shoppers grab it off the shelves and buy it, but once they’re home, let’s be real – they’re probably going to use it as a featured prop in decorating their vanity/bathroom and then, maybe even take a picture of their perfect arrangement and post on social media.There is no question graphic design is imperative to entice the consumer to pick it up in the store.  Here are 3 design trends to consider when designing your beauty product label.

Simple Sheen

Gone are the days of minimalist, borderline-boring designs. Thanks to clever use of typography and negative space, these clean, modern, versatile designs simply beg to be put out on display. As an added bonus: clear labels, metallic accents, and an opalescent sheen can add delicate dimension and intrigue to the clear messaging.

Dimensional Design

Designers are having a field day creating beautiful, visually complex and dimensional labels.  For intricate 360 degree designs, consider using a shrink sleeve or pressure sensitive label wrap instead of a printed silkscreen container. These print methods tend to be less expensive to produce than silk screen and you can achieve tighter registration for graphics and text while using a broader range of colors to capture the details.

Mini-Me

Single use and travel size packages come in many forms, including flexible pouch with resealable labels and flexible pouch with EZ pour spouts to make it easy for your customers to maintain their self-care routine while on the go. No more sacrificing their favorite cleanser at the airport TSA because it’s over 3 oz.! Plus, aging populations also benefit from the smaller sizes, as they can be a more convenient and affordable single use price point and easier to use than larger, heavier sizes.. Beyond meeting the needs of your customers, one more benefit for the brand owner with travel or single-use products is expanding the price point/quantity selection consumers can choose from.

I recommend whenever possible to explore options for flexible packaging because you can save money in product shipping and storage. You can learn more about the economic and sustainability benefits of flexible packaging by visiting one of our previous blogs.

It’s easy to make a lasting impression with the right label and package solution. Contact AWT to see how we can help you get there.

H/T: www.sephora.com, www.ulta.com, www.randco.com, & www.thezoereport.com/living/home/vanity-organization-ideas-2016/?sr_share=pinterest#slide-1

What is Food Label Obsolescence & What Causes It?

It’s frustrating when Brand Owners have to throw away labels because the brand copy, ingredients or nutritional facts change!  Consequently, the obsolete labels are “trashed” and a brand new batch is produced with the updated information. The top two causes of obsolescence are commodity market fluctuation and updates to FDA requirements. Okay great, but what the heck does that mean?

Commodity Market Fluctuation

Corn, Chicken and Turkeys, oh my! Many of the components that go into packaged or canned foods are susceptible to demand shortages due to environmental causes, animal illnesses, and a variety of other reasons. When these shortages occur, companies often times have no choice but to swap out one ingredient for another. If that wasn’t stressful enough, every time an ingredient is changed, new labels need to be created. Take the avian bird flu epidemic of 2016 as an example: Over 45 million birds were stricken with the flu, creating major hen and egg shortages. As a result, many companies started using powered eggs as ingredients, which required them to update their labels to reflect the  change(s).

FDA Requirements

The FDA takes their responsibility to protect the public’s health very seriously and makes improvements to food label requirements on a regular basis. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (21 CFR 101) is being adjusted since scientific information now links chronic diseases such as chronic obesity and heart disease to diet.

Here’s a list of nutritional label items that were adjusted:

• Serving size – Regular Amount Customarily Consumed, or RACC
  • Example: Soda 8 oz. to 12 oz. – who only drinks 8 oz. in a can?
• Larger Calories font
• Added Sugars – scientific evidence supports reducing caloric intake from added sugars
• New Nutrients added – Vitamin D and Potassium
• New Fiber definition – requires fiber to have a beneficial physiological effect to human health (lowering blood glucose)
• New Footnote
• Category additions – Hor d’oeuvers, dried vegies, drink mixes, seasoning past, seaweed sheets

For visual folks such as myself, here’s what the Nutrition and Supplement changes look like:

          Old                            New

These Nutrition and Supplement Fact updates require a speedy implementation. Manufacturers have until July 26, 2018, to comply with the changes and manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales have until July 26, 2019, for compliance.  However, with the Trump administration, there is some thought that the regulation changes may be pushed back. In anticipation, some companies are holding off on making changes until they know more. This approach will likely get riskier as the deadline looms closer.

About Face

Nutritional Call-Out Label

As the “face” of your product, front labels require eye-catching graphics that command attention from shoppers. It’s important that the consumer immediately recognizes the product name and brand before taking that next step towards the next option. In fact, these statement-making graphics play a big role in differentiating how to manage front label obsolescence versus back label. There are a couple different strategies when building the design:   It’s trendy for labels to feature call-outs of nutritional highlights on the front of a package.  If this is your angle, it might be best to print digitally so that the content can be refreshed quickly and inexpensively.

“Traditional” Label

Other companies stick to a more “traditional” look for their front labels, which can create a great opportunity for flexographic printing to be utilized.  In fact, for longer runs (10,000 linear feet and higher) it can be more cost-effective to run flexographically than digitally.  Plus, assuming the product to which the labels are adhered is in a consistent rotation at the store, you won’t have to worry as much about label storage costs. It’s okay to stock up!

With all this is mind, there is one easy way to reduce food label obsolescence.

When approaching a nutrition facts update, consider printing back labels in shorter runs on a digital press. You’ll have the opportunity to save money in a few different ways:

1. Shorter runs will save you money in storage as well as in printing costs. Fun fact: short runs, up to 10,000 linear feet are very cost-effective when run on a digital press.
2. If you use a digital press, you won’t run into or plate costs every time you need to make a change, like you would if printing flexographically.
3. Digital allows you to “Walk Before You Run.” It provides flexibility to work out any kinks before committing to longer print runs and/or switching to a flexographic press.
4. Don’t wait till the last minute to start planning for your change over. Any advanced notice helps! Your supplier can provide recommendations to manage part inventory that minimize obsolescence.

With all the different factors to consider, sometimes managing food labels can feel more like juggling eggs.  Before any eggs get dropped, it’s important to partner with a printer that truly understands food labels, managing obsolescence, and can navigate you through the myriad of complexities without negatively impacting your customers. At AWT Labels & Packaging, this is our wheelhouse. We are committed to finding the most cost-effective solution for your project and even offer Supplier Managed Inventory (SMI) programs to help further manage inventory.  Contact Us to discuss how we can help you out.

h/t:

http://www.pennlive.com/food/index.ssf/2015/06/egg_prices_shortages.html

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/enewsletter/enews_0516_03.shtml

https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm#images

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-egg-prices-20150530-story.html

Flexible packaging is taking over the shelves both in stores and at home and it’s pretty easy to see why. It’s quite economical to produce, easy to transport, and takes up less storage (as well as landfill) space when compared to many of the rigid packaging options out there. With consumers and brand owners alike jumping on-board the Flexible Packaging Train, it’s safe to say that the uptick of flexible package use isn’t stopping any time soon. In fact, the Future of Global Flexible Packaging to 2020 report by Smithers Pira says that the global market for flexible packaging is projected to grow 18% by 2020.

Here are some highlights from the 2016 Flexible Packaging Transition Advantages Study that break down what consumers and brands think of flexible packaging:

Although its popularity is growing at lightning speed, flexible packaging can be a double-edged sword when it comes to environmental responsibility. According to Lightweight Advances in Flexible Packaging: FPA Member Case Stories by the Flexible Packaging Association: Flexible pouches not only contain less packaging material by weight, but when empty, they require fewer pallets and trucks for distribution and storage. This saves energy and cost associated with the transportation and warehousing of packaging materials. Plus, did you know:

• The packaging efficiency (product to package ratio) of a flexible pouch is nearly DOUBLE that of a plastic container, which means the same amount of product can be delivered with HALF the amount of packaging material.
• One truckload of flat pouches often equals between 15-25 truckloads of empty rigid containers
• A rigid counterpart could weigh up to 70% more than flexible packaging, a costly option especially for small product runs.
• 840 empty pouches with spout fitments (1 L) can be stored or shipped in the same amount of space that would only accommodate 30 plastic bottles (946 mL)
  • This means a 96% reduction in storage or shipping space! Volume in reference to actual product volume, not container capacity
• Flexible packaging can be recycled into something like a heavy-duty shipping sack for fertilizer or lawn-and-garden use.
• If using a biodegradable additive in polyethylene packaging, then the package can biodegrade in only 18 months if it’s somewhere with a high count of microbes (like a landfill).
• Two used plastic refill bottles (1.47 L) would occupy the same amount of space in a landfill as 107 used flexible refill pouches with spouts (828 mL).

The flip side of the environmentally-responsible sword is that technology just hasn’t caught up with where it needs to be in order to effectively recycle flexible packaging. Flexible packages (especially those intended for food) are composed by fusing together multiple layers of varying materials and agents. Unfortunately, current recycling systems aren’t technologically equipped to separate, distribute, or reuse the various layers. To get into the nitty gritty details, check out this post from Packaging Digest.

That being said, there’s a lot of great work being done to increase recyclability. Organizations like the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the Flexible Film Recycling Group (FFRG) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APPR), just to name a few, are making significant strides in developing new processes and technologies to effectively sync flexible packaging, recycling and sustainability.

At AWT Labels and Packaging, we’re dedicated to providing the most cost-effective, environmentally-friendly option for your flexible packaging (and label) printing needs. Contact the Experts at AWT to get started on your next project.