Preferred Packaging, a division of C-P Flexible Packaging, and Northwest Frozen LLC are proud to announce their successful collaboration to develop and launch a new line of refrigerated, prepared meals with extended shelf life for retail distribution. The new items include a frozen croissant-shaped gnocchi pasta product called Crocchi that was chosen as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things for the 2022 holiday season. The pasta is cryo-frozen and packaged in high barrier, modified atmosphere containers. Northwest Frozen LLC also produces high-quality frozen meals as private label items for the largest grocery retailer in the United States.
The new packaging delivers hermetically sealed meals with a specific, low oxygen atmosphere inside the package to help keep the food fresh. Preferred Packaging Div. of C-P Flexible Packaging worked very closely with Northwest Frozen to provide a lidding film that could seal on high-speed machines with high efficacy to crystalized polyester trays and even through contaminants such as sauces. Seal integrity is critical throughout the distribution cycle. The meals are frozen and then sold in refrigerated temperatures at retail stores. Consumers can cook the meals directly in the trays either using microwave or conventional ovens.
The proprietary C-P Film is part of the Affirm™ family of multi-layer packaging materials that provide best in class performance. The Affirm™ film provides the widest sealing window in the industry. Consumers can peel back the lidding film from the tray eliminating the need for a knife or scissors. Other applications for Affirm™ lidding films include fresh, all natural foods that are packaged then processed with high pressure pasteurization.
“We feel honored to work with such an entrepreneurial company as Northwest Frozen to deliver safe and high-quality food packaging for consumers in North America. From the very beginning of the project, they worked diligently on creating a system to assure the best performance and consistency”, said Chadd Floria, VP of Sales at Preferred Packaging Div. of C-P Flexible.
“The team at Preferred Packaging helped us launch our new line of products within a very tight timeframe. They not only supplied us packaging film that worked best but they also provided expertise in modified atmosphere packaging and shared valuable experiences”, said Kevin Peterson, Director of Operations at Northwest Frozen, LLC