The Affirm lidding film offers seal integrity and barrier properties to increase the shelf life of refrigerated, prepared meals for retail distribution
The Crocchi croissant-shaped pasta packet. (Credit: Business Wire/ C-P Flexible Packaging)
C-P Flexible Packaging’s division, Preferred Packaging, and Northwest Frozen have launched a new line of refrigerated, prepared meals using the former’s Affirm lidding film.
The new meal items include a frozen croissant-shaped gnocchi pasta product, dubbed Crocchi. The pasta is cryo-frozen and packaged in high-barrier, modified atmosphere containers.
The new packaging provides hermetically sealed meals that are kept fresh by maintaining a specified, low-oxygen atmosphere inside the container.
Preferred Packaging and Northwest Frozen jointly developed the new lidding film that could be sealed on high-speed machines with efficacy to crystalised polyester trays.
The flexible packaging firm claimed that the lidding film can even seal through impurities like sauces.
C-P Flexible said that seal integrity is crucial at every stage of the distribution process. The meals are frozen before being distributed to retail establishments for cold storage.
Using a microwave or conventional ovens, consumers can cook the meals directly in the trays.
The proprietary C-P Film forms part of the Affirm line of multi-layer packaging materials that offer superior performance.
The Affirm lidding films are said to offer the broadest sealing window available in the market.
The packaging firm said that customers can peel back the lidding material off the tray without the help of a knife or scissors.
The lidding film can also be used for fresh, all-natural foods that are packaged and then processed with high-pressure pasteurisation.
C-P Flexible Preferred Packaging division sales VP Chadd Floria said: “We feel honoured to work with such an entrepreneurial company as Northwest Frozen to deliver safe and high-quality food packaging for consumers in North America.
“From the very beginning of the project, they worked diligently on creating a system to assure the best performance and consistency.”
Northwest Frozen operations director Kevin Peterson said: “The team at Preferred Packaging helped us launch our new line of products within a very tight timeframe.
“They not only supplied us packaging film that worked best but they also provided expertise in modified atmosphere packaging and shared valuable experiences.”