FROZEN POTPIES

Packaging Report
December 3, 2015
FS 303 Fall 2015

By:
Puspita Hamijoyo

Summary

The product that we have created is frozen potpies, sold in individual

pack. The package should be small and efficient in food and
transportation handling. The standard costs will be around 80 cents to
a dollar. This product will be a hit since we have been selling pies in
large scale. People wanted to have practical food in one serving, which
is why we are introducing this new product. Part of the package
material will also be recycled material, which saves costs and
environmental friendly at the same time. Although investment will be
made, the line will have small scale and it will consequently bring
profits to the company.
Technical Requirements
Size and Form The size of the package will be about 5 inches
(13cm) and it comes in individual servings. It will be sold in retail
market in packs of six. There is another container (trays) that will hold
the pie inside the box with also 5-inch diameter with circular shape.
Consumer Usage - The consumer will consume the food directly out
of the round trays. However, the food must be heated before
consuming since it is still in frozen form. As the instruction stated on
the back of the box, the preparation is quite simple as the food will be
heated directly on the package of serving. There is no additional
utensil necessary for heating the product. Since the serving size is only
for one person, the consumer usually ate this without having leftovers.
There is no in-between serving. If there are cases where it needs to be
reheated, reseal the pie with plastic wrap. Reheating is not
recommended since it will affect the texture and taste of the pie.
Shelf Life The product could last for one year if kept frozen. It needs
to be kept in freezer until ready for serving. The temperature will be
00F (-180C) and the packages are built to be capable of maintaining the
products temperature. Packaging and shelf life can impact the food
safety. If the packaging is done properly, it will prevent cross
contamination that is caused from the packaging process. After filling,
the containers are often forgotten to be sanitized. The food safety
could be maintained if proper measure is taken, such as using antimicrobial packaging.
There are certain requirements to the retail display, one of them is to
be kept away from heat or direct sun and placed in a controlled-

temperature storage with 0 degree Fahrenheit. There should also be

thermometer (accurate to 20F) as temperature keeper and for easy
quality check.
The packaging material used is mainly Crystalline Polyethylene
Terephthalate (CPET). It is costly, compared to other material like
Polypropylene or PVC since it can withstand a large range of
temperature, from 400 degree to as low as -40 degree. The material
should be strong in terms of temperature tolerance and flexibility. With
the material that can withstand extreme temperature, it can be stored
for a long time in freezer and it definitely increases shelf life. Good
packaging material have good insulation. This is vital as it prevents
freezer burns (from variety of temperature in cold storage). However,
40% of the material will be from recycled material since it has been
approved by FDA and it is a safe material when in direct contact with
the food.
The packaging will need to be inspected by Department of Agriculture.
Under FDAs supervision, it will be checked to make sure no material in
the packaging can contaminate the food. The National Environmental
Policy Act will determine whether the material will leave environmental
impact, especially upon disposal of the packaging.
Labeling There are 4 major things that have to be included in
labeling to fulfill the requirement (under information panel); Name and
address of the manufacturer, ingredients, nutrition facts, and allergen
labeling. Upon buying the products, consumer tends to see if it fits
their needs. From the ingredients, qualities of the product can be
predicted. It also informs the consumer about possible risks from the
allergen section. There is instruction included on how to use the
product in an appropriate way. The location tells the consumer where it
is produced, and the date written tells when it is produced.
There are several requirements to labeling, aside from the ones above.
On the front part, there should be standard placement of identity, PDP
(the Principal Display Panel), net quantity statement, and information
panel. All of these should be placed in a specific location on the
package. Even the print and type size should be considered to fit into
the requirements.

Packaging Equipment Requirements

There are requirements that need to be achieved in packaging
equipment. To be able to produce frozen pies, dough must be made at
the base of the tray with the pressing machine to make it flat. The tray,
then, passed through Piston Filling machine where the gooey filling of
the potpie is placed on top of the pressed dough. All of this will be
covered with liquid form of the dough from the filler machine. The final
step would be to place the pie in freezer. There are no sealing or
wrapping required as these individual pies would be packed in a box.
The estimated production rate is one million pies per week.
Distribution Requirements
For easier transport, cardboards will be used to load the packs of
potpies as tertiary packaging. The warehouse should be cooled and
refrigerated. In the cold storage facility, there should be a record of
temperature from thermometers. The man in-charge should always
check on the product and temperature. If the temperature is more than
10 degree Fahrenheit, or there is damage on the package, owner
should be notified to acquire special handling. When the frozen foods
are loaded from non-refrigerated temperature in the unloading area, it
should be done quickly, in a short amount of time possible to avoid the
humid air. There should also be enough space in between stacks to
allow better air circulation. When in delivery phase, the vehicle should
be sealed. In case of power outages, there should be detail instruction
to handle the food product. The vehicle should be free from
contamination. It can share storage space with other product from the
company as long as there is still sufficient air circulation and the
temperature remains at 0 degree Fahrenheit.
Costs
The unit costs for individual package will be around $0.88. Other
company charged the pie for more (about $1.60) since they are using
expensive CPET tray. Recycled trays are much cheaper, which make
profits to the company.
References
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry: a Food
Labeling Guide (3. General Food Labeling Requirements). Web. 2 Dec.
2015.

Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.
Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
Handling and Merchandising Handling and Merchandising. Web. 2
Dec. 2015.
Packaging Machinery and Equipment. Packaging Machinery and
Equipment. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
Federal Packaging Regulations in the US I National Requirements.
Federal Packaging Regulations in the US I National Requirements. Web.
2 Dec. 2015.
TV Dinner. How TV Dinner Is Made. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.