Coated bowl with peelable lidding wins Diamond Award

The polymer-coated steel bowls are retortable with easy-peel polymer-coated aluminum foil lidding.

France-based ready-made meals manufacturer William Saurin selected retortable, polymer-coated steel bowls with easy-peel polymer-coated aluminum foil lidding for its new single-serving "Salades Gourmandes" and "Salades Soleil" meat salad products. The foil lidding is attached to a steel rim that is seamed on. Supplied by Crown Food Europe, affiliate of Crown Holdings, Inc., the 100% recyclable bowls provide 3-year non-refrigerated shelf life for the salads.

The bowls, which are 99 mm in diameter, hold 230 g of product. The bowls are made of 0.18-mm steel/PET internal coating/PET external coating. The steel rims around the bowl mouths are made of 0.21-mm steel/PET internal coating/PP external coating. The foil lidding has an internal polypropylene coating and an external lacquer. packaging is targeted to consumer convenience—easy to transport, easy to open, easy to eat from, and shelf stable with no refrigeration required.

Beyond its consumer-friendly attributes, the packaging also is processor-friendly. It exhibits consistent performance during processing with over-pressure retorts. In addition, the lid seaming speeds are highly efficient at 250 cans/minute. The packaging also accommodates high-quality graphics, creating a premium appearance on store shelves.

Launched in May 2004, the four-item salad line has been well-received by consumers. More than 4 million bowls were sold in France and the Benelux countries. William Saurin was pleased with the packaging performance and has now extended the salad line to include 10 products.

Recognized by the judges as the most innovative of the entire group, the container has been recognized with DuPont’s Diamond Award.