Uflex develops tortilla chips' packaging for US-based Whole Foods Market

The company is eyeing to tap tortilla & other snacks market in USA with the new packaging solution

Tortilla chips packs — Uflex transforms tortilla chips' packaging for US-based Whole Foods Market

Last Updated : Jan 04 2017 | 3:51 PM IST

Uflex Ltd, the flexible packaging materials and solution company, has supplied a packaging solution for tortilla chips to Whole Foods Market, the US-based grocery store that provides natural and organic foods.

Some four months ago, Whole Foods Market (WFM) approached Uflex for developing packaging solution for its tortilla chips. The existing packs – multi-layer Kraft paper institutional bags with a BOPP sealant layer - were not providing enough barrier to tortilla chips from oxygen and moisture. As a result, chips in those institutional packs were turning soggy and rancid in barely three weeks.

Added disadvantages of paper being torn in the supply chain or ruptured by sharp edges of tortilla chips was a double whammy. Fabrication of multi-layer Kraft paper packs in itself is an expensive proposition that requires specialised equipment at the converters’ end with prohibitive capital costs. More annoying was the fact that the multi-layer kraft paper institutional bags of net weight 16 OZ (454 gm) had to be cut open from the top for taking the chips out and leaving the consumer with no option other than consuming all of it in one go with no provision for deferred consumption without spoilage.

All these issues compelled Whole Foods Market to look for alternate packaging solution for is tortilla chips. Moreover being the largest seller of organic food in the US, WFM also wanted to give a paper-like organic look to the tortilla chips packaging thereby upholding its brand ethos.

To meet the WFM’s requirements, Uflex developed a three layered, 12.5 micron coated polyester / 18 micron BOPP (both sides treated) / 35 micron polyethylene packaging structure as a 3D flat bottom pouch. Polyester provides excellent barrier from oxygen and also exhibits good thermal resistance owing to its melting temperature that is as high as 150-160°C. BOPP acts as a strong barrier to moisture. Polyethylene (PE) serves as a sealant layer besides imparting strength and sturdiness to the pouch. To impart a paper-like organic look, special registered matte coating was applied on the glossy polyester film.

The transformed packaging increased the shelf life of tortilla chips to 90 days. With the new packaging, consumers can open the pack very conveniently. Hence, small potions can now be taken out from the institutional pack and the pouch could be zipped thereafter for deferred use keeping the quality of chips absolutely intact through the prescribed shelf life. The 3D pouch rendered a 360 degree branding canvas to the pack as it has five distinct panels. This further enhanced the visibility and aesthetics of the pouch at the point of sale (POS).

Talking about the new packaging for Whole Foods Market, Anup Sachdeva, joint president packaging (global exports) at Uflex Limited, said, “Earlier in December, especially for the Christmas Season we dispatched 1 million new pouches to the co-packer by air. The new pouches are now on the retail shelves and I am given to understand from the client that the response has been terrific. Tortilla is categorised as healthy food and enjoys a huge market in West America. Consumers are quite appreciating the press-to-close (PTC) zipper on the front panel for the great convenience that it brings along with it. We are getting more and more enquiries from tortilla and other snacks brands in the US that are still using conventional paper packaging. We are very hopeful of more business transactions fructifying in the near future.”