instore - January 2018 - 34

Food Safety:

Tamper-evident
packaging
by Andy Nelson

onsumers care more than ever about
safe food packaging - and tamper-evident packaging in particular - and suppliers of the instore deli and bakery industries
are constantly refining their products to meet
that demand.
Tamper-evident packaging attracts consumers in two ways, according to Shelton, Connecticut-based Inline Plastics Corp., says
Cindy Blish, marketing. One, it affirms that
the quantity of a pack's contents is correct.
But more importantly, tamper evident packaging lets consumers know that their food
has not been contaminated.
"Consumers certainly prefer knowing that
nobody touched their food," Blish says. "We
recently performed an online study among
2,000 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older.
Over two-thirds said tamper-evidence and
tamper-resistance were important characteristics when it comes to purchasing food
in clear plastic containers."
The increased importance consumers place
on tamper-evidence and packaging safety in
general can be traced to the beginning of the
21st century, and it hasn't waned since, says
Jeff Rebh, president and CEO of Innoseal
Systems Inc., whose InnoSeal Professional
Sealer is a tamper-evident bag-closing system that uses a resealable tape and paper
combination to seal products for a variety of
industries, including instore bakery.
"Since the terrorist attack of 9/11, consumers have refocused concerns about intentional contamination and its impact on
the safety of the food supply," he says. "A
tamper-evident packaged product provides
a consumer security throughout the supply
chain and purchase."
Because of the sense of security a consumer gets with a tamper-evident pack, pack-

34 * JANUARY 2018 * instore

PHOTO: INLINE PLASTICS CORP.

aging should be treated as one of the most
important tools in marketing a product's
brand, Rebh says. "Consumers are intrinsically hardwired to respond to certain visual cues that evoke emotional responses,"
he says. "A tamper-evident seal or package can elicit feelings in a consumer that
a company cares enough to safeguard the
quality of their product and protect the intended consumer."

separated in a single container - hence
our SnackWare line."
In addition to its Safe-T-Fresh lines, Inline
offers customers its SureLock clamshell
product line, Blish says. While the products
are not considered tamper-evident, they feature an overlapping label that can serve as
effective way of detecting tampering if it's
torn. "The lids are designed to keep contaminants out," Blish says.

In just the past two years, Inline has
launched four major new tamper-resistant
platforms under its Safe-T-Fresh brand
umbrella: SquareWare, RoundWare, SnackWare and PagodaWare. And those were just
the big ones, Blish says. Alongside those
launches was the introduction of several
smaller lines that further addressed market needs. And keep an eye out, she says,
for new products from Inline in 2018. "Our
focus is on innovation. We are constantly
developing new food packaging solutions
for a wide variety of applications."

In half a century of helping the food industry
store, transport and merchandise its products, keeping contaminants out of products
has always been top of mind for Inline. "Food
safety is front and center for all Inline product
developments," Blish says. And in addition to
its packaging products, Inline also designs and
develops packaging automation solutions that
can be tailored to individual customers' needs.
"That means a complete packaging solution
that puts products into the market with less effort, more efficiency - and lower cost."

When it comes to trends in tamper-evident
packaging, today's consumers, Blish says,
are focused on size and convenience. "With
changing eating habits consumers are looking for smaller pack sizes, as well as multicompartment containers, where different
types of foods can all be packed but stay

The latest updates to Innoseal's tamper-evident product roster are the L and XL Sealer
lines, Rebh says. The L Sealer has a larger
entry point that's perfect for bakery good
packed in thicker bags. The XL sealers, available in 1-, 1.5- and 2-in versions, are designed
for bulk in box and bundling applications.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - January 2018