instore - November 2017 - com - 2

Insight Insider

bags from McNairn and Novolex feature
a center film panel that provides visibility of the entire loaf.
"A lot of our customers are wanting
more visibility of the product," Wood
says. "With some new technology and
equipment out there, you're able to
make a new style of bread bag that will
provide more visibility, greater graphics
enhancement if you need it and want it,
and it lends itself well to differentiating
the bread."
The new technologies have allowed for
printing on the film portion of the bag
instead of just on the paper portion.

Breathability
That paper portion of the bag is responsible for allowing the bread to breathe.
"The breathability of the bag is very
important," Clark says. "The bag has to
keep the bread crusty. Nobody wants to
buy a nice loaf of artisan bread and then
have it get soggy."
Paper, by nature, is breathable. It lacks
a real barrier and lends itself well to an

"The bag has to keep the bread crusty.
Nobody wants to buy a nice loaf of artisan
bread and then have it get soggy."
Tracy Clark, McNairn packaging

artisan bread. But there are times when
you may need more, or less, breathability. Perforated packaging can allow
more airflow to ensure the maintenance
of a hard, hearty crust.
There may be times when a retailer
wants to extend the shelf life of an artisan product. That requires less airflow,
which can be accomplished with coatings on the paper. Also, breads with a
high oil content - an olive loaf or a
focaccia, for example -need a coating
of some sort.
"If you start to coat the paper, it
changes its makeup and functionality,"
Wood says. "Depending on what the
requirements are, if a customer needs
more of a grease barrier because the
product has oil in it, then you may
need to use a coated or treated pa-

per. That can extend shelf life a little
longer or minimize and mitigate any
grease migration."
Clark also points out that some papers need a coating and the ability to
be heated at home, after the consumer
purchases it.
"If you're getting into a high-end bread,
more of an olive bread with a high oil
content, you'd need the grease-resistant paper," she says. "In other cases,
you might want a foil bag that you can
bake so you can put it in the oven when
you get home. It really does depend on
the bread."
As Wood points out, there's no right or
wrong answer when it comes to breathability. It all depends on the retailer and
the end consumer.
"It's purely customer-driven based on
their product, their application and how
they want to merchandise and sell it off
the shelf to the consumer," he says.

Scaling up
As with every other aspect of artisan
bread production, packaging must respond to the need to increase demand
as producers are trying to reach more
consumers while maintaining the quality and feel of their product.

SEALING ARTISAN BAGS CAN BE A CRITICAL STEP IN THE PACKAGING PROCESS.
PHOTO: INNOSEAL

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2 * NOVEMBER 2017

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commissary INSIDER

"It has to be turn-key for the manufacturer of the bread and into their customer, which is the supermarket, and
then into the end consumer," Wood
says. "it has to be turn-key in the sense
that it has to be simple and easy to execute on."

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