Curwood, Inc. (curwood.com), recently garnered the top innovation award in the Packaging Category at the International Dairy Foods Association’s second-annual Innovation Awards. The award was conferred on Curwood’s SmartTack™ Flexible EZ Peel® Reseal™ package, the first peel-reseal technology that can be used with 100% flexible packaging.

The new formulation gives cheesemakers a way to add easy opening and reclosability to their packaging without traditional zippers or sliders. With two to three times the retack strength of previous generations of commercially available peel-reseal systems, the robust system helps keep cheese fresh until it is consumed. Peel-reseal packaging has been available previously only in rigid or semi-rigid packaging formats.

Awarded the winning innovation in the Packaging Category, Curwood’s next-generation SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal technology allows makers of chunk, sliced or snack cheeses to offer peel-reseal convenience using flexible thermoforming films as low as 3-mil thick. Consumers just peel open the flexible package, cut a slice or chunk, then reseal the package to keep the contents fresh—they never even have to touch the cheese. SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal packaging peels cleanly open and can be resealed up to 20 times with fingertip pressure, setting a new standard for performance. The improved formulation also has enhanced tamper evidence in the form of seal whitening.

“At Curwood, we’ve seen a significant rise of interest in convenient, simple, multi-use packaging,” says Curwood’s Cheese marketing director, Brian Sturgill. “We’re honored to be recognized for packaging developments that offer cheese processors new opportunities to innovate products and meet market trends.”

The Innovation Awards exemplify substantial achievements in price or performance; or significant advancements in technology or innovative design. The Awards are sponsored by Dairy Foods magazine and the International Dairy Show, held this November at McCormick Place in Chicago. One award was presented in each of the five categories: food safety, ingredients/flavorings/seasonings/additives, packaging, processing and sustainability, and Attendee/Reader Choice Award.