Induction Sealer Chosen over Tamper Evident Shrink Band for Food Products
Why did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers when he could have purchased a plethora of pickled products from Bay View Packing? Peter Piper certainly didn’t know that Bay View Packing recently upgraded their packaging to plastic containers with an induction seal that preserves freshness, prevents leaks and provides tamper evidence.
The 95-year-old, family-owned operation produces a variety of pickled foods in their Milwaukee, Wisconsin facilities. Some of their most popular products include pickled eggs in vinegar brine and pickled herrings in wine sauce. Their high quality gourmet products are distributed throughout the country; so packaging that maintains product integrity is critical.
Switch from Glass to Plastic Jars
Their products were traditionally packaged in glass jars, but as more and more stores now require a form of tamper-evident sealing, Bay View Packing realized they needed to make a change.
Tamper evident shrink bands were considered since they would “check the box” for tamper evidence. However, after investigating tamper evident bands versus induction sealing, two things became clear. First, the cost to purchase and implement tamper evident bands would almost triple the amount of an induction sealer. Since induction sealing is a noncontact process, implementing the equipment into the packaging line is very easy. Second, an induction cap sealer would create a hermetic seal that would ensure the company’s products wouldn’t leak during transit while maintaining product freshness.
The company decided to go with induction and switch from glass to plastic. “Glass jars did not offer a great solution for us to have a tamper evident seal,” says Drew Liebner, General Manager at Bay View Packing.
Bay View Packing was on a time crunch to get a sealer built in time for the packaging switch and Enercon was going to make it happen. “The production team at Enercon made sure the sealer was built on time. When I had questions on how to get a better seal on the jar, Enercon’s Jessica Toellner and their tech support team have been with us every step of the way,” Liebner remarks.
Enercon provided a Super Seal™ 75 sealer with a wide, flat sealing head to seal mason jar style bottles with cap sizes varying from 70mm to 110mm. Liebner claims that “the best feature of the sealer is minimal switchover time. It is relatively easy to change between different jars, requiring about 30 seconds of downtime.” They were also able to maintain the same line speeds that they had prior to adding an in-line sealer.
When asked what kind of advice Liebner would give to others who were looking at the possible benefits of induction sealing, he exclaimed, “Go for it! However, there are items to keep in mind when induction sealing.”.
Keys to Successful Induction Sealing
Enercon provided insights on the keys to induction sealing success. For starters, quality containers, caps and compatible induction liners are required. Secondly, the land area, where the liner contacts the container, should be free of any product. With those elements in place, the physics of heat, pressure, and time can work together to create a hermetic seal.
Pressure is created by ensuring the proper amount of torque is applied by the capper. Determining the right power level for the packaging line speed takes care of the heat and time aspects. It’s a best practice to determine an operating window, minimum & maximum power levels that produce a good seal, and then run the sealer somewhere within that window to avoid partial seals and burnt seals.
New Package Opens Doors to New Business
Bay View has experienced success for five generations. They take pride in the products they produce and now have confidence that those products will not leak. “The longevity of our business, since 1923, speaks volumes that we do things the right way; and our customers return to us knowing they are going to be happy with their purchase,” concludes Liebner.
The new package configuration provides Bay View Packing and its customers with a lighter weight package, less chance of breaking, protection against leaks, tamper evidence, and freshness preservation. This has allowed Bay View Packing to open up discussions with new distributors leading to new business. Also, the new package has been recognized in the Induction Sealing Hall of Fame – Class of 2018 during Pack Expo in Chicago.
Pickled foods are just the latest in a long line of food products that have been sealed by Enercon Induction Sealers. Other food products that have been successfully sealed include spices, dressings, peanut butter, ketchup, mustard, snacks, nuts, pretzels, powdered drinks, teas, and similar products.
