The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) announced the winners of its 66th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition. The winning entries were recognized during the FPA Welcome Dinner & Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Ceremony held Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in conjunction with the 2022 FPA Annual Meeting (March 23-25) at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla.
For this year’s competition, FPA says it received a historic number of entries — 100 package entries were submitted for the competition, with a total of 325 entries (some packages were entered into multiple categories). Twenty-seven packages were honored with 43 Achievement Awards.
The judges for this year’s competition included Martin Golden, MHGolden Packaging, packaging development consulting and adjunct professor, Rutgers University Packaging Program; Brian Ludwick, vice president, publisher, and brand director, Packaging Impressions; and Jim Peters, a marketing communications consultant who focuses on the packaging industry and principal author of the book, Creating Value Through Packaging.
Shelf impact and the focus on the user experience for packaging are seen as increasing trends. “One of the things that were a big part of my consulting practice was shelf impact and I realize that today, the thinking goes beyond just the shelf. So I started using the term ‘point of perception.’ If you get into the medical field, if you get into the industrial field — it's not just the packages on the shelf — but how does it help the end-user at the point when they first perceive the package,” notes Peters. “For example, color coding in medical packaging is a way to enhance patient safety.”
Technical innovation and sustainability continue to be a focus of the competition. “The sustainability aspect was an outstanding area to focus on amongst our discussions and review of the entries. It led to several excellent thought discussions on what was presented by the entries and how that floated into technical innovations,” states Golden. Peters notes, “The sustainability aspect and the way that it permeated so many of the entries, and what I particularly liked, is the way it was a total process — looking from the technical angle all the way to how it is used in its final use environment to be sustainable. That's what I found most impressive about the competition.”
The printing quality of the entries this year was also remarked on by the judges. Ludwick notes, “Printing was a critical category for this year’s competition for the vast majority of the entries that we reviewed and it was fantastic. The printing quality, the graphics, the use of colors and the matte and gloss combinations were just outstanding.” According to Golden, “Printing technology is continuing to refine itself for the future. The technology of flexography has grown from two-color to multicolor line screen from a 100 to 300 high definition and the combination of printing technologies — digital, flexo and gravure — has evolved immensely and it will continue to have new innovations.”
HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The Highest Achievement Award is evaluated by the judges as possessing overall packaging excellence, significant attributes in all award categories, and contributing most to the advancement of the industry.
EnteraLoc
Awards: Highest Achievement Award
Gold Award – Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging
Gold Award – Packaging Excellence
Gold Award – SustainabilityGold Award – Technical Innovation
Manufacturer: Vonco Products, LLC, www.vonco.com
End-User/Customer: Medtrition Inc. (selling as Banatrol Liquid TF and ProSource 20 TF)
Plant: Trevor, Wis.
Designer/Design Firm: Vonco Products, LLC
Key Suppliers: nutritionDay in the U.S.; Hoffer Plastics Corporation; Truitt Brothers/Baxter’s Foods (formulation and filling); GEDSA; and Oley Foundation
Contact: Kyle Vlasak, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, kyle@vonco.com, 262-298-7201
Description: EnteraLoc is a patented, 510(k) FDA approved, medical fluid device intended for tube-fed patients. It’s the first seamless, closed-loop solution that combines nutritious meals with a flexible pouch, leak-proof seal, custom-designed spout, and direct-connect ENFit device in one complete enteral feeding system. Unlike traditional solutions, EnteraLoc uniquely delivers nutrition directly into the patient’s feeding tube in either the hospital, long-term care facility, rehab facility or home care setting. It is designed to improve the nutrition/hydration of tube-fed patients by providing a convenient method of nutrient delivery that is simple, safe, no mess and can be consumed on the go.
GOLD ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Listed alphabetically by package name
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Ahmad Tea – Cardamom Tea, 200g Award: Gold Award – Printing Description: Ahmad Tea is designed with cast and cure technology to prevent counterfeit duplicates. The cast and cure technique printed on the front panel gives a holographic effect and provides security to the package as cast and cure is not easy to copy and helps to prevent duplication of the product. The cast and cure technique improves the overall package aesthetic and grabs consumers’ attention on the shelf. Printed with 8-color reverse printing, and after the lamination process is completed, the surface cast and cure is added with a separate process. The package uses a high-barrier metalized PET film to retain the product aroma and increase its shelf life. |
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AmPrima Recycle Ready Pouch for Tyson Instant Pot Family Meal Kit Award: Gold Award – Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging Description: Amcor’s AmPrima Recycle Ready Pouch for Tyson Instant Pot Meal Kits is a future-ready flexible technology that addresses Tyson’s goal of incorporating better, more sustainable plastics in their brand packaging. The package streamlines three packaging components (a rigid APET tray, a PVC overwrap and a label) into one flexible high-barrier carrier pouch eligible for consumer recycling. The efficient package resulted in an 80% reduction in carbon footprint, a 75% reduction in packaging weight and elimination of chloride-based materials. |
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Beachbody PCR Incorporated Stand-up Pouch Awards: Gold Award – Sustainability Description: In a recent product launch, Beachbody partnered with American Packaging Corporation (APC) to debut their Cookies & Creamy flavored Shakeology brand stand-up pouch. This pouch is novel as it incorporates 45% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content at a minimum. The pouch is a flexographically printed, multi-material lamination of PET, MET PET and LLDPE produced at APC’s Story City, Iowa, facility. |
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Celebrate HerSHEy's Bar Award: Gold Award – Shelf Impact Description: The Celebrate HerSHEy’s bar was created for International Women’s Day by Hershey as a form of unique media to support an initiative important to the company and their consumers — honoring the women in their lives. With a clever graphic tweak to this iconic brand, the Celebrate HerSHEy’s bar resulted in considerable earned media with hundreds of posts, reposts and likes on social media platforms. In addition, the story was covered by local and national news outlets for additional earned media. |
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KITKAT Mini Moments 3D Recyclable Pouch Award: Gold Award – Shelf Impact Description: The KITKAT Mini Moments 3D recyclable pouch is designed with a registered matte coating to create a striking brand block on the shelf. As the full laminate is OPP and PE-based, the pouching parameters were set carefully for good sealing quality and finish of the pouch. OPP non-heat sealable and metalized BOPP on both sides of the treated material are used instead of PET and metalized PET to make the laminate recyclable. As a responsible manufacturer of flexible packaging, in coordination with the customer, the recyclable pouch was developed as a sustainability initiative. The pouch also has laser scoring for easy tearing by the consumer. |
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KRAFTIKA Paper-based Packaging Tube Range by FlexiTubes Awards: Gold Award – Packaging Excellence Description: KRAFTIKA, made by UFlex, was developed on the concept of reducing the use of plastics at the source itself, thereby reducing the overall impact on the environment than a traditional tube. KRAFTIKA involves replacing plastic with an FSC certified virgin kraft paper that helps reduce the tube’s body weight by up to 45%. The tubes have strong barrier properties with a low moisture absorption rate and high bursting strength. KRAFTIKA tubes provide all of the features of FlexiTubes with the addition of it being eco-friendly, which adds to its acceptability over conventional tubes. KRAFTIKA is best suited to package products such as cosmetics that are produced using natural or organic ingredients. |
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Lamb Weston Alexia Biobased Packaging Awards: Gold Award – Sustainability Description: American Packaging Corporation (APC) and Lamb Weston presented a circular sustainable packaging scenario for Lamb Weston’s line of Alexia Organic frozen potato products. The film used in the packaging of this product is partially made from plant-based starches, 16% by weight, including processing byproduct from the manufacturing of French fries. Not only is this packaging replacing plastic material with biobased content, but it is also finding a new home for French fry byproduct. |
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Mackintosh's Quality Street Stand-up Pouch Award: Gold Award – Printing Description: Mackintosh's Quality Street stand-up pouch is designed to create a superior impact on the shelf. As a manufacturer of flexible packaging, in coordination with the customer, the recyclable pouch was developed as a sustainability initiative. The key features include rich vibrant colors and appealing visual effects achieved with 8-color gravure printing that makes the pouch distinctive. The printing with surface matte with a very high-resolution product image gives the pouch a unique look. The pouch, both functional and elegant, is designed with a resealable zipper that keeps the product fresh for a longer time. The pouch structure is recyclable which contributes to the sustainability of this package. |
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Nestlé Smarties Stand-up Pouch, 203g Awards: Gold Award – Packaging Excellence Description: The production of paper-based packaging requires different measures than conventional materials. The paper used for the Smarties stand-up pouch is optimized for stiffness and durability to maximize shelf presence while providing strength and stability to withstand product fill and distribution. The key production goals of this paper-based packaging were to mimic the functionality of plastic-based packaging while maintaining speed on press. The package is produced using a rotogravure press and the overall construction consists of surface-printed paper with gloss, heat-resistant overlacquer and a rotogravure-applied dispersion coating to support heat sealability, barrier and product resistance. |
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Off The Eaten Path Industrially Compostable Package Awards: Gold Award – Sustainability Description: The new Off The Eaten Path industrially compostable package offers environmentally conscious consumers another option as it relates toward a sustainable packaging circular economy. The new structure offering combines several product, process and graphical enhancements embodied within the new package and design. These include a fully certified industrial compostable biobased package, a proprietary sound dampening technology for rigid biobased materials, eye-catching clear and concise “compostable” messaging, and a consumer interactive QR code providing details on composting options. |
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Popcornopolis Double Drizzle Pouch Award: Gold Award – Shelf Impact Description: Bryce Corporation, in partnership with Popcornopolis, developed a stand-up box pouch. The flat-bottomed design, consisting of multi-layer, high-barrier films, features HD flexographic printing, a convenient press-to-close zipper and sturdiness that maximizes presentation on each panel and boosts shelf impact. The barrier film technology combined with a reseal feature provides maximum freshness. |
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Repêchage Pouch Awards: Gold Award – Printing Description: This pouch has an upscale salon shelf appeal and outstanding detailed printing with gold layered tones. |
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Volkman Seed Featherglow Large Parrot Bag, 4 lb. Award: Gold Award – Printing Description: With its vibrant colors and finely printed detail, the Volkman Seed Featherglow Large Parrot Bag is designed to catch the consumer’s eye. Normally a difficult challenge in quality matching, this job is printed on both digital and flexographic printing presses to meet SKU and production run requirements. Using Project Blue, a patented anilox and screening technology that delivers ultra-high definition quality comparable to 300 line screen, PPC met the quantity needs of the customer while also matching the digital quality. |
SILVER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Listed alphabetically by package name.
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Amcor Clear Anti-Grease Jerky Pouch Award: Silver Award – Techincal Innovation Description: Amcor’s new clear anti-grease film is designed to allow beef jerky and other meat snacks to increase shelf appeal and gain a competitive advantage. The formula prevents grease droplets and smears from appearing on the package surface and eliminates “scratched” windows caused by fatty build-ups in the jerky. As a result, brands can significantly enlarge clear product windows, unleashing design possibilities. Because the grease is managed, jerky snacks look leaner, healthier and more delicious. |
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AmPrima Recyclable PE Shrink Film with 30% PCR Award: Silver Award – Sustainability Description: Many of today’s leading beverage brands are working to make their packaging use at least 20% post-consumer recycled content by 2025. The new AmPrima Polyethylene (PE) shrink film with 30% post-consumer content (PCR) is designed to help brands meet both of these major sustainability drivers, offering the billion dollar beverage industry a sustainable packaging option for multipack bundling. It offers environmental benefits without compromising run speeds, machinability or overall packaging performance. |
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Doritos SOLID BLACK Award: Silver Award – Shelf Impact Description: As part of its new multi-pronged initiative to supply resources and a platform for Black Changemakers, Frito-Lay created the SOLID BLACK Doritos packages. The SOLID BLACK packages capture the boldness of the brand and the Changemakers with their eye-catching, vibrant colors on a black background. The package artwork was created by Baltimore artist Megan Lewis. By using the packaging in a campaign for social justice, the bag becomes not just a package, but an ambassador for the cause. |
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John Soules Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast with Rib Meat Award: Silver Award – Technical Innovation Description: American Packaging Corporation (APC) provided a laser score with a controlled depth that keeps the package integrity but allows an easy-open feature for the consumer. A unique property of the design is a noticeable “pop” when the score is broken, giving the user a sensory aspect that the package has not been tampered with. The controlled package integrity also allows John Soules Foods to apply the reseal tape and fill the bags without compromising the opening feature. |
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KITKAT Roasted Almond, 120g Award: Silver Award – Printing Description: This package is printed with 8 colors and an offline cold seal. With its eye-catching bright metallic effect graphics and cold seal, the product stands out from the rest of the packages on the shelf. The matte film gives the pouch a rich and soft feel while the cold seal provides an unmelted product to the customer. The package structure provides the barrier to maintain product freshness, and the two-ply laminate and both layers are BOPP. |
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Klondike Shakes Award: Silver Award – Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging Description: With Klondike Shakes in a spouted pouch, Unilever created a new mess-free frozen dairy product offering — the first to market such a novelty in the U.S. Klondike Shakes are squeezable and ready to enjoy 3 to 5 minutes after being taken out of the freezer. Achieving the iconic Klondike appearance was critical to maintaining the brand identity for the new product launch. Utilizing reverse printed graphics and a high-performance metalized lamination, this package achieves the iconic look and provides the required performance to be executed in a pouching format. Surviving the harsh cold chain environment, this product created a new flexible package consumption occasion. |
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Marouf Coffee Roasted Espresso 3D Pouch Award: Silver Award – Shelf Impact Description: The Marouf coffee 3D pouch is a visually captivating product that maintains its functionality and durability, and the pouch is made with a V-notch for easy tearing. The pouch has contrasting colors with an inline registered surface matte coating which elevates consumer appeal. The registered matte lacquer with high-quality printing creates contrast and gives the package a high-end look. The pouch also has a one-way vent degassing valve that allows customers to smell the aroma of the product. |
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Mazaya Zesty Lime Stand-up Pouch, 250g Awards: Silver Award – Printing Description: The Mazaya stand-up pouch is a visually captivating product that maintains its functionality and durability, and the pouch is made with laser scoring for easy tearing. The pouch has contrasting colors with an inline full coat surface matte coating which elevates consumer appeal. The pouch also has a suitable grade PE for the molasses packaging. The job is printed with 8 colors that includes a surface matte. The light green, yellow and white combination stand-up pouch gives an elegant look on the shelf. The resealable zipper allows consumers to use the product multiple times. |
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Mehran Extra Long Basmati Rice 3D Pouch Award: Silver Award – Printing Description: The Mehran Extra Long Basmati Rice 3D Pouch is printed with 9 colors and includes an inline registered matte coating, which makes the pouch stand out on the shelf. High-dart PE is used to improve the dart impact of the laminate to sustain drop test and bursting strength during transport and handling of the package. The artwork was designed to enhance the traditional feel and the resealable zipper extends the pouch usage. The matte and glossy look of the pouch creates an excellent shelf appeal, helping it catch the immediate attention of the user. |
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PCR-354 Award: Silver Award – Sustainability Description: Berry Global’s PCR-354 is a mono-blown shrink bundling film made from a proprietary polyethylene resin blend and 30% post-consumer recycled content (PCR). The film and sheets perform exceptionally in many specialty shrink applications. While containing a leading 30% PCR, this film maintains properties at high temperatures through a shrink tunnel. The finished package has the same visual effects and tight containment as the previous blend using virgin materials. |
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Sanders Small Batch Wonders, Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Clusters Gusset Pouch Award: Silver Award – Printing Description: Sanders Small Batch Wonders, Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Clusters are a new, improved packaging design that creates a colorful, exciting gusset pouch with bold colors and a matte/gloss finish to emphasize many features of the product such as the chocolate and pecan images. Sanders Small Batch Wonders gusset pouches are designed to have an exceptional aroma and flavor barrier, good clarity and great reclosure and dispensing options. |
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Wish Farms Blueberry SmartSeal Traceable Package with Variable Data Lidding Film Award: Silver Award – Sustainability Description: As a year-round supplier of fresh berries, Wish Farms harvests products throughout North and South America at peak growing seasons. The products are packed in the U.S. and distributed throughout North America. To meet the packaging needs and federal exporting regulations, Wish Farms selected Sonoco’s SmartSeal Fresh lidding with Sonoco Unique Variable Data. This variable data printing allows Wish Farms to track and trace each tray individually, providing product quality and traceability details following each package throughout the supply chain with a unique scannable QR code. This technology solution combines with peel/reseal lidding to deliver enhanced consumer experience, reclosability, tamper evidence and package sustainability. SmartSeal Fresh lidding replaces the rigid clamshell top reducing plastic usage and light-weighting the package by at least 30% compared with the previous clamshell. |
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Zainab Basmati Rice Large Flat Bottom Pouch, 10 lb. Awards: Silver Award – Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging Description: Zainab Basmati Rice, Pakistan utilizes a side gusseted, flat-bottom pouch with an INNO-LOK re-closeable zipper and a die-cut handle for consumer convenience in the transport of the 10-lb package. The graphics are superior via rotogravure printing with a matte and gloss effect resulting in a product presentation that allows each grain of rice to be accentuated. |
