Beans are now an easy snack thanks to H.J. Heinz's Snap Pot

Traditionally packed in metal cans, Heinz Beanz are now offered in a multilayer polypropylene/ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)/PP thermoformed cup that allows for ambient storage and microwavability. Each pot is sealed with lidding film branded with the Heinz logo and cooking instructions.

Four 200-gram pots are combined in a splittable pack with a carton sleeve. The pots are thermoformed by RPC Bebo Plastik in the UK.

RPC Bebo Plasik
011-49-4761-8600;www.rpc-beboplastik.de

PACKAGE OF THE MONTH

Pizza comes with own heating tray

Freschetta frozen pizza from Schwan Food Co. now comes in heat-and-serve packaging that removes the need for a cooking sheet.

PizzAmoré comes with a bake-and-serve tray made from pressed paperboard with a poly coating to prevent food from sticking. The tray disperses heat evenly across the crust for an even bake without drying or burning.

The pizza and tray are wrapped together in vacuum-sealed plastic film, and the pizza comes pre-sliced.

Swiss luxury coffee to debut in U.S.

A tall, tapered cup with convenience sealing features helps lend a luxury image to retail coffee drinks that are making their American debut.

Caffè Latte is billed by Swiss producer Emmi International as “the only chilled coffee drink in the American market made with real espresso ground from beans sourced in four different areas of the coffee-producing world.” Already available in 17 European countries, Emmi Caffè Latte will initially launch in two regional markets: the Great Lakes region comprising Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio (including Pittsburgh) and Michigan, as well as the Southeast region, which includes Virginia, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Caffè Latte is packaged in a 7.7-ounce tapered cup that is a tall rendition of the traditional European espresso “demitasse.” A pull-back foil seal protects the product beneath a large plastic overcap.

Grafts switch to plastic tubes

Vascular grafts that had been packaged in glass vials are now in a copolyester tube designed for breakage resistance and easy filling.

Artegraft, a spinoff of Johnson & Johnson based in New Brunswick, N.J., had been having problems with its 21-inch glass culture tubes of collagen vascular grafts, used as a hemodialysis graft or for peripheral bypass. The new tubes, from O. Berk, made from Easter Copolyester MB002 from Eastman Chemical Co., have a flat side to prevent rolling.

For ease of use, the diameter of the neck opening was increased, and a peel-away, heat-shrink tamper-evident seal was added. Each new tube is embossed with the Artegraft name on the outside.

O. Berk Co.
800-631-7392;www.oberk.com

Eastman Chemical Co.
800-327-8626;www.eastman.com

'Camouflage' Spam to help military kids

Spam, the canned processed meat product consumed by armed forces around the world since World War II, is donning camouflage to help raise funds to educate children from military families.

Hormel Foods has established the Spam Operation Education fund to contribute to Fisher House, a charity that awards scholarships to children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Two-packs of Spam in an Operation Education paperboard wrap with a camouflage motif are being sold at military commissaries and grocery stores. For each purchase of an Operation Education two-pack, Hormel will donate 20 cents to Fisher House, up to a maximum of $50,000.

Hormel is also selling Operation Education T-shirts on its website,www.spam.com/operationeduction, with proceeds going to Fisher House. In addition, consumers who visit the website can make their own contributions.

Calvin Klein fragrance features sleek pump

CK in2u, the successor to Calvin Klein’s fragrance CK One, has come out with an anodized finger pump from Rexam Dispensing Systems.

The glass bottles have super-low-profile pumps, anodized in blue for the men’s fragrance and gold for the women’s. The colors match both the product color and the shade of the cap.

The pump features a mechanism with a glass ball and no elastomers, enhancing neutrality and transparency and contributing to a clean, spare profile. CK in2u is distributed by Cody under license from Calvin Klein.

Rexam Dispensing Systems
011-33-1-41-38-98-00;www.rexam.com