DON® Foods Pioneers Resealable Zipper Packaging for Cold Cut Meats in Australia

New Format Meets Consumer Preference for Convenience and Package Integrity.

02/05/06 Being first isn’t always easy. But in the food industry, being first to roll out an innovative product line or package design can yield positive results for a brand, especially if backed by solid consumer feedback, sound marketing strategies, and quality product materials.

In Australia, cold cut meat brand DON is reaping many benefits from pioneering a new packaging format for its 97% fat-free shaved meats range. The brand has introduced resealable zippered packs that are the first of their kind to appear in the cold cut meats category countrywide.

George Weston Foods Limited (GWF), the manufacturer and distributor of Don products under its Meat & Dairy Division, learned of consumers’ increasing desire for more convenient and reliable shaved meat packaging from focus group research. GWF decided on resealable zippered packaging, and its film supplier Aperio Packaging (Sydney, Australia) recommended leading zipper provider Zip-Pak Australia, Melbourne, a unit of Zip-Pak (Manteno, Illinois), to help pioneer the project.

Kevin Young, Innovation Manager at GWF, explained, "We recognized that zippered packaging would be the best format to suit our customers’ call for convenience. Since we were going to be first to market with this product, we wanted to work with reliable suppliers that have depth and experience in this field. Aperio knows Zip-Pak’s zipper products well, so zipper and film compatibility was one less variable to worry about."

Understanding the Customer’s Needs

The decision at GWF to introduce new packaging for the shaved meats range was based largely on feedback from consumer focus groups, which revealed that freshness was a very important factor for consumers. While re-closeable packaging is very common in the category, consumers’ perceptions are that the current systems do not provide the sturdy and full seal that consumers desired to keep unused portions fresh. Research indicated that consumers often transferred leftovers into other storage containers to achieve a reliable seal and ensure product freshness.

"Many people didn’t trust the current packaging for cold cut meats, and wanted options that would provide them with a reliable seal each time," said Young. "Further, they wanted to be able to count on this seal to maintain product freshness for several days after opening the package."

GWF recognized the need to provide more reliable packaging that would provide product freshness and allow easy storage in a single step.

Sourcing a Complete, Reliable Solution

"Our decision to go with zippered packaging was solidified after reviewing international trends for the processed meats category. We looked at other markets around the world and saw the upward trend of zippered packaging for this product segment, particularly in North America," Young commented. "This confirmed our selection of zipper as the technology that would meet our customers’ needs."

The new packaging is produced on a Rollstock (Kansas City, MS) horizontal thermoform/fill/seal machine, which was delivered to GWF in September 2005. The machine already had zipper-ready capabilities, and was tailored to meet GWF’s specifications.

"Again, there were countless machinery options, but we wanted a machinery supplier that both Zip-Pak and Aperio were comfortable working with," said Young. "All three companies had worked well together in the past, so we were confident that both zipper and film would perform well on the Rollstock machine."

The new machine packs Don shaved meats in 150 gram portions, at speeds of circa 40 packages per minute. The modified-atmosphere packaging successfully combines Aperio’s nylon polyethylene peel-able barrier film and Zip-Pak’s press-to-close thermoform zipper. For a larger opening and easier access to the contents, the zipper is placed on the long-side of the package.

Poised for Domestic and International Success

In December 2005, Don shaved meats in the new resealable packaging hit store shelves across Australia. GWF received positive responses from retailers and consumers both domestically and internationally, and is now on the lookout for more growth opportunities with the new packaging concept. Plans are in the pipeline to roll out resealable packaging to other areas within the GWF Meat & Dairy product portfolio.

Young concluded, "From the consumer viewpoint, resealable zippers are the future of convenient, value-added packaging. We believe that Australia will follow the trend in the U.S. where this type of packaging is consumer-preferred for its ability to maintain freshness. We’re proud to have pioneered what we believe will become the flexible bulk packaging standard for processed meats in Australia."