Justin’s and ProAmpac Produce Sustainable High-Barrier Food Pouch

The pouch was specially designed for Justin’s Nut Butter Covered Nuts.

This snack pouch utilizes a food-contact FDA-compliant structure, reducing its reliance on virgin resin by using 40% recycled plastic content in the sealant film, which equates to 25% of the total structure, according to ProAmpac. It also has high oxygen- and moisture-barrier properties for preserving the product’s freshness.

“This flexible package is one of the first commercial pouches for food packaging to combine such a high proportion of PCR material, reducing the carbon footprint of the package without sacrificing the high-barrier snack food requirements,” says Adam Grose, chief commercial officer for ProAmpac.

Using a lot of PCR materials for packaging can create printing challenges such as haziness and an inconsistent appearance, said Hesam Tabatabaei, ProAmpac’s director of research, innovation and technology. To overcome this, the flexible packaging company’s team used flexographic inks and coating technologies, and optimized the lamination processes.

Finding ways to make packaging more sustainable is a long-term goal for Justin’s, says founder Justin Gold, who started out selling batches of organic nut butters at the local farmers market in Boulder, Colorado, in 2004.