Huhtamaki, a packaging provider for the food and consumer goods industries, is entering the United States yogurt market with its SBS paperboard that has moisture-resistant interior and exterior lining, displayed at PACK EXPO International.
“What's different about the yogurt containers from ice cream that we’ve made near a century, is that we've developed a process to ensure that the entire inside of the package is lined by what we call edge prep—or preparing the edge of the paperboard before the cup is formed to lock in all of the raw materials—so that products like yogurts, cottage cheese, and sour creams are protected inside the paperboard container,” said Beth Romano, product manager for Huhtamaki’s consumer goods division in North America. “We're also putting a flat flange on the container so it will accept a heat seal membrane, to ensure a complete seal to protect the product.”
As interest in sustainable options grew in the United States, the company saw the opportunity to develop containers based on the company’s European technology. Huhtamaki’s North America division adopted the technology developed by its counterparts in Spain, working with them to refine the technology in order to bring it overseas.
“Customers are looking for a way to reduce the amount of single use plastic that they are putting into the waste stream. They're recognizing that small cups, especially single serve cups are not good on environment,” said Romano.
Huhtamaki’s paperboard is sourced from certified forests, which plant-based package further allows companies to align their packaging with their values and products, such as meat and dairy alternatives, strengthening their brand image.
Huhtamaki provides 4.4 ounce with additional sizes in the works. The company is providing similar dimensions in paperboard cups to the current plastic in order to ease the conversion for customers.
