The reduced-sugar products (12 g of natural sugar per 8-oz serving) are made from organic juice blended with purified water and fortified with calcium and vitamins A, C, and D.
These juices are hot-filled by an unnamed Midwest contract packer and have an estimated 10-month shelf life. Marketed though Babies “R”Us, Whole Foods Markets, and Wild Oats, the Apple/Carrot and Banana/Carrot beverages are packaged in PET bottles (8- and 32-oz) supplied by Ball Corp. (www.ball.com). Color-coded, heat-shrink PETG sleeve labels with TE neck bands are flexo-printed in eight colors with graphics depicting a toddler on a tricycle. The labels are supplied by Seal-It, Inc., a division of Printpack (www.printpack.com). These high-shelf-impact, 360-deg labels provide ample room for nutrition facts.
Color-coded, polypropylene twist closures are supplied by TricorBraun (www.tricorbraun.com). For enhanced tamper-proofing and product freshness protection, the bottle mouths bear foil membrane seals beneath the caps. Unique to the 8-oz bottle is a “sippy top” nonspillable cap with a clear PP, contamination-guard overcap, also supplied by TricorBraun.
First Juice founder and CEO David Glasser says, “In creating First Juice, we were committed to giving parents not only a healthy beverage for their toddlers, but also one that offers convenience. We’ve done that with our innovative, no-spill sippy-top containers. They are reusable and dishwasher-safe as well as recyclable. And the bottles are bpa- and phthalate-free. The response has been great. Parents tell us they love the bottles and what’s in them, and kids love the taste.”
