eighteen packages were recognized with 22 flexible packaging achievement awards within one or more categories, including packaging excellence, printing and shelf appeal, technical innovation and sustainability achievement.following are the 2015 fpa winners.2015 fpa highest achievement award winnercryovac® darfresh® on traymanufacturer sealed air corporation&mdashcryovacaward highest achievement award&mdashretailscrapfree film lidding on fresh meat traysdarfresh on tray is an innovative vacuum skin packaging system for fresh red meat that the fpa judges picked for the highest achievement award&mdashretail. from an intellectual property standpoint, sealed air corp.cryovac is behind this technology. but also playing a big role from an equipment standpoint was mondini, represented in the u.s. by harpakulma packaging. compared to conventional vacuum skin pack tray systems, this one uses about 40 less flexible film lidding material because there is no lid stock scrap.what separates darfresh on tray so markedly from comparable alternatives is that there is no &ldquoskeleton&rdquo or film matrix from which the lid stock is cut. that&rsquos why there is no lid stock scrap. flexible film is fed into a mondini vacuum skin lidding machine and then the lidding needed for each tray in production is cut from the web to the precise dimensions of each tray. once the lidding is cut free from the roll, a vacuum shuttle system transfers it to the vacuum chamber and traysealing head. whether the machine runs oneup or more than oneup, it runs at 8.5 cyclesmin, which sealed air says is about 40 faster than most conventional vacuum tray sealing systems out there today.among the first to use the material is hilton foods, first in the netherlands and then in 2014 in the uk. in the netherlands, whole muscle meat in the darfresh on tray format is sold primarily at the albert heijn chain of stores, while in the uk the packs are found at tesco stores. launching in europe made the most sense because vacuum skin packaging of fresh red meat is far more common there than in the u.s. but sealed air and mondini teamed up to showcase darfresh on tray at the recent pack expo international in chicago, so expect to see u.s. applications in the future.from a material specification standpoint, the trays used by hilton foods are similar to those used in sealed air&rsquos simple steps concept for cooked foods that need only be reheated pwgo.to1427. made by a sealed air partner, the darfresh on tray trays are thermoformed from a pp sheet. prior to thermoforming, a substrate coextruded by sealed air that includes evoh for gas barrier purposes is laminated to the pp. this package also has easypeel opening, which consumers love. they also like that if they haven&rsquot cooked the package&rsquos contents within the 21day shelf life, they can pop it into the freezer. clear lidding material, meanwhile, is coextruded by sealed air and also includes an evoh layer.one other partner that has more or less attached itself to the darfresh on tray concept is ravenwood packaging of the uk. its linerless labels are used by hilton foods and were part of darfresh on tray&rsquos u.s. debut at pack expo. go to pwgo.to1428 for a video demonstration of both darfresh on tray and ravenwood&rsquos innovative linerless labeling system.&mdashpat reynolds, vp editor2015 fpa highest achievement award winnerintervoid® sterilemanufacturer coveris&tradeaward highest achievement award&mdashinstitutionalspecimen sampling package earns top fpa honorsthe flexible packaging assn.&rsquos 59th flexible packaging annual awards competition awarded its highest achievement award&mdashinstitutional to packaging material supplier coveris for intervoid® sterile.fpa says intervoid sterile represents a major breakthrough in flexible packaging for medical, food, and other specimen sampling through its integrated protection, labeling, tracking, and storage system.&ldquothis unique package enables the delivery of a single, lightweight flexible sampling solution with obvious cost, environmental, safety, and supply chain advantages. eliminating the risk of cross contamination and enhancing traceability and function, intervoid products are both food contactapproved and un3373marked for product assurance and security against cross contamination. the sterile bags combine unique trackandtrace identification, patented tamperevident closure and tape, which says &lsquostop&rsquo if tampered with or not sealed correctly,&rdquo said fpa.intervoid sterile was launched in 2014 and is currently being used for various commercial applications via a number of specialist distributors, says sian bates, group marketing manager, uk food & consumer with coveris. &ldquowe are unable to disclose the end user of this product but within their industries, the benefits of using intervoid sterile include increased security of sampling, traceability of samples throughout the entire logistics chain, audit trail, use of sampling bags within a sterile environment, and increased efficiency with reduced waste.&rdquofpa says the intervoid sterile bag &ldquomarks a world first,&rdquo noting that by &ldquofusing together a host of highly technical conversion methods, the sterile bags combine unique trackandtrace identification, patented tamperevident closure and tape, perforation, and leakresistant properties to deliver a composite, easytouse sampling solution for enhanced safety, security, and environmental impact.&rdquochicagobased coveris makes flexible and rigid plastics as well as paper and paperboard packaging formats, and the firm has more than 70 facilities located in more than 20 countries worldwide.the supplier says intervoid sterile is targeted at multiple sectors that require sterile and secure sampling. primary applications include medical blood, urine sampling, doping etc. pharmaceutical testing, food within the manufacturing process or at source, and biotech industries.coveris says it incorporates extrusion, print, and conversion processes in the manufacture of intervoid sterile, which can be customized for size, thickness, film, print design, tracking, and security features. that said, the standard product is a 70mu extruded film, as per the samples supplied. specialty features could include welded security tape incorporating the security features and leakresistant welding.intervoid sterile bags are available in up to eight colors, printed flexographically by coveris. subsequently, bags are then formed by what the company describes as &ldquospecialist converting processes&rdquo into gammasterilized premade bags individually packed for immediate use.fpa points out the following benefits of the package&bull through its leakresistant direct contact function, the flexible packaging allows for the removal of additional packaging components such as labels and breakable rigid plastic or glass containers. this enables the delivery of a single, lightweight flexible sampling solution.&bull the bag&rsquos unique trackandtrace capability utilizes stateoftheart inline print processes to dualmark each bag with its own number and barcode identification to eliminate the need for secondary print, labelling, or human process error, an integrated capability and advantage of flexible process not available on any other format.&bull according to coveris, track and trace and security features are delivered via a security stop messaging in the tape coupled with random print in the tape weld, in which tampering results in an immediate signal that an attempt has been made to access the bag&mdashremoval of the tape with replacement by another tape is not possible due to the random print.also, security printing on the welds of the bag prevent the cutting and rewelding of the actual bag. trackandtrace numbering is coupled with sequentially matched barcode in multiple formats. no two numbers are ever repeated on the product.additionally, tailored numbering solutions are used to suit all internal and external systems employed. all numbering and tracking systems are controlled inhouse by coveris. see how the intervoid® sterile system works at pwgo.to1426. &mdashjim butschli, features editor2015 fpa gold award winnersdole fruit & veggie blendsmanufacturer emerald packagingaward gold&mdashprinting and shelf impactthe dole fruit & veggie blend is a series of three pouches newly launched in late 2014. the package was printed with the revolutionary hp indigo wideweb digital print technology. the series of three unique graphics were printed in line with zero print waste between each unique package. the petpe laminated stand up pouch with a zipper closure was laser scored for easy consumer access.muscat datesmanufacturer paharpur 3p a division of paharpur cooling towers ltd.award gold&mdashprinting and shelf impactregistered matte coating to enhance aesthetics and ultimately brand value. packaging with premium looks and paperlike finish. the best part of the pouch is the brilliance in printing. this smoothness is achieved by a special matte surface coating. graphics, color combination of gloss, and matte effect has given a &ldquolive&rdquo look of dates on the pack.freshness plus®manufacturer sealed air corporation&mdashcryovacawards gold&mdashsustainability, gold&mdashtechnical innovationthe sealed air food care freshness plus® modified atmosphere package uses an innovative active barrier film that aggressively helps prevent oxygen migration into artisan bread, keeping it fresher longer, extending shelf life for more than 40 days, and reducing product shrink by up to 50 percent. these benefits equate to operational efficiency, cost reduction, and revenue generation for both the processor and retailer.rustoleum spraysmart&trade marking paint pouchmanufacturer printpackaward gold&mdashpackaging excellencerustoleum&rsquos marking spray paint was packaged in rigid aerosol canisters. these did not evacuate fully, and they also created a lot of hazardous waste.spraysmart&trade pouches mix and evacuate more effectively, providing more paint coverage for the same package weight, and the used pouches take up much less space and do not require disposal as hazardous waste. also, the transparent areas within the graphics allow users to easily see how much paint remains in the pouch.amcor&rsquos dessiflex®manufacturer amcor flexiblesaward gold&mdashtechnical innovationamcor&rsquos dessiflex® is a breakthrough in flexible packaging. it is extremely effective at both removing moisture within a package and retarding moisture penetration through seal edges of the package. dessiflex even removes retained moisture from packages exposed to high humidity sterilization. it reduces the environmental footprint approximately 20 compared to a pouch with a desiccant sachet. dessiflex is a simpler and better desiccant package effective in challenging applications. package contents stay clean and dry.mccormick skillet sauce mix pourable pouchmanufacturer bemis company, inc.awards gold&mdashpackaging excellence, silver&mdashsustainabilitywith its diecut spout and tearoff &ldquocap,&rdquo the new mccormick skillet sauce package has the look and functionality of a bottle, but the efficiency and sustainability of a pouch. the cap tears easily and cleanly for a controlled, directional pour that&rsquos proven to please consumers. the unique shape, standup format and vibrant graphics immediately set the product apart from mccormick&rsquos popular dried spices to strengthen the company&rsquos entry into the liquid sauce category.medicrreo&trade with childguard&trade slidermanufacturer pactech packaging llcreynolds presto productsaward gold&mdashtechnical innovationthis is the world&rsquos first childresistant flexible pouch using the childguard&trade closure. the medicrreo&trade manufactured by pactech packaging, complemented with the childguard&trade closure developed by reynolds presto products, has passed the testing requirements of title 16 cfr 1700 of the poison prevention packaging act. with the hermeticity of the slider and the barrier attributes of the film laminate, endusers can be assured that their product will last on the shelf for an extended period of time. this new flexible packaging solution opens market opportunities traditionally supplied by rigid packaging.ghirardelli 5.50 oz. milk chocolate sea salt cashewmanufacturer american packaging corporationaward gold&mdashprinting and shelf impactan inline laminated 2ply reverse printed matte film, registered gloss lacquer, easy tear and reseal features, all in a standup pouch results in a unique shelf appeal for this premium product. the rotogravure printing process provides the registration control necessary for application of the registered gloss lacquer to the exterior of the package after lamination. the soft vignettes and matte film help to give the package a highend appearance along with durability and shelf life.p.f. chang&rsquos mongolian style beefmanufacturer american packaging corporationaward gold&mdashprinting and shelf impactmouthwatering graphics provide for a realistic visual of the highend product waiting inside. american packaging achieved the lifelike reproduction by utilizing its high definition flexographic printing expertise to provide a sharper image with intense colors and cleaner text. the consumer can almost taste how good the meals will be by viewing the package on the local grocer&rsquos freezer shelf.exponent 2&trademanufacturer rollprint packaging products, inc.award gold&mdashtechnical innovation, gold&mdashpackaging excellenceexponent 2&trade combines ultrahigh barrier clearfoil® with a chemicallyinert sealant. the highperformance sealant, a coextruded noncrystalline polyester, is designed to replace barex® for chemicallysensitive applications. exponent 2&trade is ideal for applications requiring exceptional barrier and clarity. with oxygen and moisture barriers available down to 0.0008 cc100in224 hrs, and 0.0008 g100in224hrs respectively, the allpolyester exponent 2&trade can be used for the most sensitive applications, providing cost savings and recycling opportunities when compared to traditional foil structures.for silver winners, go to pwgo.to1416. 
