A new addition to the range of Britain’s oldest pasta sauces, Ragú, has become the first UK product to go on-shelf in RPC Superfos’s (rpc-superfos.com) award-winning SuperLock® barrier pack.

The 400ml pack, supplied to manufacturer Symingtons by RPC Containers Blackburn, has been selected in preference to glass due to its ambient shelf life of up to 24 months combined with glass-like transparency and the added in-home safety of a non-shatter container.

SuperLock containers combine an oxygen barrier on all surfaces with a membrane seal to ensure an almost non-existent oxygen transmission rate.

The barrier is created through the use of a leading-edge in-mould labelling (IML) technique. Labels are manufactured using a special co-extruded barrier foil and are applied during the injection moulding of the containers. After filling, the containers are sealed with a PP/EVOH/PP membrane seal. 

Together the two processes ensure virtually zero oxygen transmission to provide an ambient shelf life of up to 24 months. They are suitable for hot filling and autoclaving during processing. An additional filling line benefit is that the process is far quieter than other materials.

The pre-printed labels offer outstanding graphic quality and the ability to produce highly colourful and intricate designs.  Furthermore, the availability of the whole container for this quality decoration allows it to be maximised to its full potential for excellent shelf stand-out.

Equally important, the clarity and transparency of the polypropylene containers means that clear sections can be incorporated into the labels so that the products themselves can also be visible on shelf.

 Further consumer benefits include easy re-closability thanks to the twist-off/screw-on lid and SuperLock is microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe.