UK-based Benchmark Packaging has added a Sunpaq line to its Hillington headquarters as part of the company’s expansion in the contract packing sector.

Benchmark managing director Russell Cohen said the solution met all the requirements in terms of display impact and recyclability, with it also having potential across a number of other sectors.

“When we decided to go down the full contract packing route, we wanted to offer the best possible service to our customers and that meant Sunpaq was a packaging [...]

India-based Luthra Water Systems has announced plans to set up a Rs350m ($7m) bottling plant at the Ahirwadi Village in the state of Maharashtra.

The proposed facility is specified for the European market and will be the company’s third to bottle Mulshi Springs, a natural spring water brand.

Construction of the plant is expected to start at the end of January and is scheduled to be complete by the end of March.

Luthra said the two plants currently in operation are able to [...]

India-based Luthra Water Systems has announced plans to set up a Rs350m ($7m) bottling plant at the Ahirwadi Village in the state of Maharashtra.

The proposed facility is specified for the European market and will be the company’s third to bottle Mulshi Springs, a natural spring water brand.

Construction of the plant is expected to start at the end of January and is scheduled to be complete by the end of March.

Luthra said the two plants currently in operation are able to [...]

The Australian Government has slammed British American Tobacco for using images of kangaroos to sell its Winfield brand cigarettes in Europe.

Australia attorney general Nicola Roxon claimed that many of her compatriots would be outraged by a big tobacco company using the country’s healthy lifestyle to market their products.

“Whilst it’s probably unlikely that we can do anything to stop these packs being sold in Europe, we certainly can call on British American Tobacco, as the Australian public can, to say ‘get [...]

Austria-based provider of chemical and plastics solutions Borealis has launched a new polypropylene (PP) grade for cosmetics product packaging and baby bottles.

The company claims that the fully recyclable Borclear RC737MO allows for bottles up to two litres in size, with improved surface scratch resistance and reduction in haze compared to alternative materials.

Borclear RC737MO can be processed by applying the usual processing settings for random PP grades with barrel temperatures in the range of 190°C-220°C and its melt strength enables converters [...]

Like-for-like sales for the final 13 weeks of 2011 were up 0.5% a year earlier.

Food sales were up 3%. M&S said that its customers were “keen to protect their spending on festive food, despite the pressure on their disposable incomes”.

Although food sales increased, M&S said that, general merchandise sales fell by 1.8%.

International sales were up 8.1%, reflecting growth in the priority markets of India and Shanghai, according to the firm.

‘Trading strategy worked well’

Chief executive Marc Bolland said: “Our food business [...]

Sales executive Matt Gough said: “There are companies out there that produce plastic ring pull tubes, but they require complex machinery to package the products and seal the tube.

“With our specific design it is the only one in the market, as far as we know, that you can package yourself. No special machinery is required.

“With our ring-pull tube, the customer is provided with a tube [cardboard or plastic] with a ring pull lid already seamed on. All they need to [...]

Liqui-Box is headquartered in Worthington, Ohio and supplies bag-in-box packs to the global dairy, drink and bulk food markets.

In particular, it supplies the foodservice industry. The company also produces pouches and rigid plastic water bottles.

Liqui-Box chief executive Roszann Graham said in a statement: “The entire Liqui-Box team is energized to partner with Sterling, who has a proven track record of successfully transitioning unique, speciality businesses like ours to more nimble, stand-alone companies and equipping them for future growth.”

Sterling partner Greg [...]

SOUTH Australia and Queensland are joining forces to push for new food labelling laws which give consumers accurate and up-front information about products’ country of origin.

Minister for Business Services and Consumers John Rau said the current system often left consumers with the wrong impression about the true origins of the food they were buying.

He said a recent meeting of consumer affairs ministers had agreed that Queensland and South Australia would work together to develop a new national approach to the [...]

Queensland and South Australia will join forces to develop new national food labelling laws to give consumers more accurate and easy-to-understand information about the products’ country of origin.

South Australia minister for business services and consumers John Rau said that the current system often leaves consumers with the wrong impression about the true origins of the food they are buying.

Based on a recent meeting of consumer affairs ministers, Queensland and South Australia have agreed to work together to develop a new [...]