Robbie Manufacturing Inc. is the winner of the Flexible Packaging Association’s 2008 Gold Award in Environmental and Sustainability Achievement.

The award recognizes Lenexa, Kan.-based Robbie’s Hot-N-Handy Rotisserie Pouch. The pouch, during manufacturing, produces 85 percent less carbon dioxide and uses 88 percent less crude oil than the rigid two-piece dome, the company reports.

Hot-N-Handy Pouches also use 80-percent less packaging material than rigid containers and offer a 66-percent reduction in solid waste introduced into landfills, Robbie states.

In presenting the award, the association noted that, “Flexible packaging improvements, technology and enhancements have not only benefitted consumers, but the environment as well. The sustainability achievements seen in the competition entries and winning packages have reduced the material and energy used to manufacture final packages, while simultaneously reducing waste.”

Robbie also received the Linthicum, Md.-based Flexible Packaging Association’s Silver Award in Packaging Excellence, even though Hot-N-Handy was not entered in the category.The Hot-N-Handy Rotisserie Pouch is a flexible all-in-one package with such features as a built-in-handle for easy carrying, a resealable zipper for reclosing and a slim profile for saving leftovers. The pouch also is microwaveable and leak resistant.

Robbie reports that Hot-N-Handy Pouches also use 60-percent fewer corrugated boxes for shipping and generate a 92.6-percent reduction over rigid containers in fuel, trucks and pallets when shipping the same quantity.

Irv Robinson, Robbie owner and chief executive officer, says the product took 18 months to develop.

“One of the drivers in going from rigid to flexible packaging were the benefits to the environment and logistics,” he notes. “The pouch takes up one-thirteenth the truck space of a rigid container.”

Robinson, who is on the Flexible Packaging Association’s board of directors and also serves on its Sustainability Task Force, says his company’s long-range goal is to develop a totally compostable product.

“Sustainability is a major part of what we will be doing,” he adds. “It is what retailers are saying they want and what the whole flexible packaging industry is working towards.”

Nature's Premium Brand LLC introduces presliced deli meats and cheeses

Nature’s Premium Brand LLC, Northfield, Ill., is introducing a line of all-natural presliced deli meats and cheeses. Products include Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef and Salami meats, and Swiss, Pepper and Colby cheeses.

Items were developed without the use of antibiotics and growth promotants, and are free of preservatives, gluten, monosodium glutamate and allergens (except cheese which contains milk). The Nature’s Premium brand uses animals that are raised on family farms, fed a strict vegetarian diet and humanely raised, the company states.

The meats and cheeses are being promoted with the “Get Real” campaign that features informative brochures, signage and a Web site that is designed to educate consumers about natural foods.

Kayem Foods Inc. enhances its chicken sausage line

Kayem Foods Inc., Chelsea, Mass., is marketing Al Fresco All Natural Gourmet Chicken Sausage in a fully cooked Spinach & Feta variety.

The new product is a Mediterranean blend of feta cheese and spinach with a hint of rosemary and is intended to complement any salad, pasta or barbecue, the company states.

The Al Fresco line of heat-and-serve sausages are free of nitrates, nitrites, artificial flavors, preservatives, trans fats and gluten, and are made with lean, skinless chicken meat. Products are sold in 12-ounce, four-link packages with a suggested retail price of $4.99.

Hormel Foods Corp. launches Dinty MooresBig Bowls stews

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., is launching Dinty Moore Big Bowls, a line of stews in portable packaging.

Varieties, which are delivered in 15-ounce microwaveable bowls and can be heated  in less than two minutes, include Traditional Beef Stew, Chicken and Dumplings, Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Italian-Style Stew with Meatballs, and Southwest Chicken Stew. The products have a suggested retail price of $2.49.

Marketing support for the new Dinty MooreBig Bowl selections will be part of a national campaign for the product line. The campaign, featuring the tagline: “You ain’t dainty. That’s why there’s Dinty,” will run through October and include targeted consumer magazine advertising, public relations, in-store advertising and a free-standing insert.