For some families, ketchup is a food group. That’s why Heinz has introduced the Fridge Door Fit, a 46- and 64-ounce bottle with a compact shape that sits nicely inside what most families find to be the ever-open fridge door. Ethnographic research guided Connecticut-based Product Ventures (www.productventures.com) in developing an easy-squeeze bottle with no-slip side grips that accommodate even the youngest of users. The package repeats classic Heinz equities like the neckband and also the brand’s iconic keystone shape on the label, the snap-back closure and in the silhouette of the bottle. This launch is part of the company’s Superior Value and Growth Plan, which includes the introduction of 100 new products this year.

Pleased with the best-selling status of the oval-shaped container it launched last holiday season, Kleenex is introducing an everyday version nationally on September 1st. The Kleenex Expressions Oval line features nine designs with graphic patterns wrapped around an elliptical carton designed by the company’s internal package design team. The development, according to the company, came out of consumer insights that determined shoppers felt there wasn’t anything “for me” as far as design goes at the shelf. Clearly, the new line is a distinct departure from the square and rectangular boxes normally associated with facial tissue; and, together with the trend-forward designs, it goes a long way in making a common household product more relevant and unique. Suggested retail is $2.29.

Anything that makes cooking easier is much more likely to enter the consideration set for shoppers these days. That’s the hope Crisco has for its new Simple Touch cooking spray, which is housed in an aerosol can featuring what the brand calls a Click & Go nozzle. Supplied by Seaquist (www.seaquistperfect.com), the nozzle twists to click open and closed, and it features a broad surface that allows for easier handling; it is also said to resist breakage and eliminate the aggravating experience of losing a nozzle, which is common with conventional spray cans. Crisco Simple Touch is available at a suggested retail of $2.55 for a five-ounce Olive Oil spray or $2.40 for the six-ounce Original or Butter flavor.  

Ben & Jerry’s has licensed with PepsiCo to launch a line of refrigerated milkshakes this summer in glass bottles designed by 4Sight Inc. (www.4sightinc.com) and manufactured by O-I (www.o-i.com). Though it marks Ben & Jerry’s first licensing deal, the introduction is just the latest addition to PepsiCo’s refrigerated milk and coffee drink line, which includes Starbuck’s Double Shots, Frappuccino and Quaker Milk Chillers. Ben & Jerry’s milkshakes will be available in convenience and grocery stores around the country.

In what might be the first instance of naming a wine for its packaging, Don Sebastiani & Sons released Plungerhead in March. The Dry Creek Valley zinfandel is named for a “zork” closure from Australia (www.zork.com.au) composed of a polyethylene cap and plunger that “pop” when opened. The closure is favored not only because it eliminates the possibility of cork taint but also because it retains the sense of celebration in opening a bottle of wine. “Everyone who opens the zork has remarked in an overwhelmingly positive fashion. Wholesalers, retailers, consumers, even other wineries love the look, feel, sound and practicality,” says Donny Sebastiani. “We have big plans to move ahead with this in the future.”