In light of increased consumer demand for on-the-go packaging options, the industry has witnessed an increase in resealable and reclosable packaging.

According to Innova Market Insights, between 2013 and 2017, an average annual growth rate of +103 percent has been observed for new food and beverage launches tracked with “resealable/reclosable” packaging (Global, CAGR 2013-2017).

Charles Brand, Executive VP, Product Management and Commercial Operations at Tetra Pak says, “We are pleased to be able to support our customer deliver a premium product in a growing category.

“This has been made possible by our expertise in the entire processing and packaging process: our ambient yogurt processing capability, the know-how of heating large food particles, and our ability to customise the packaging system.”

The global market for ambient drinking yogurt is around 12.5 billion packages today according to Tetra Pak, with quick expansion from China to South East Asia and the Middle East.

The addition of large fruit pieces and cereal grains will further increase consumer interest with more premium products.

Including large fruit pieces within an ambient beverage product is a challenging process.

The heating of the product must be done carefully to ensure that the fruit pieces are not damaged or broken-down during the process, and the filling and packaging need to ensure even distribution of the fruit particles, keeping the quality and integrity of the final product.

Just recently, Tetra Pak launched an Extrusion Wheel that produces stick ice cream products with large-sized inclusions, such as whole nuts, real fruit segments, or cookie dough chunks.

Source: Tetra Pak