DuPont Packaging, along with a panel of independent jurors, has announced that FreshCase® packaging has won the top honor in the 24^th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation.

FreshCase® is the first company to create an FDA-approved vacuum package that keeps meat fresh and maintains its bright red color throughout an extended shelf life. In many cases, retailers and supermarkets end up throwing away fresh meat that may have lost some of its bright red coloring as consumers associate this coloring with freshness. FreshCase® packaging extends shelf life 10 times longer than store-wrapped meat. The combination of longer shelf life and more appetizing appearance promises to both reduce food waste and increase the availability of proteins in areas further away from food sources.

Dan Siegel, Marketing Consultant at Curwood Inc says:

“The extended 30-day shelf-life is a huge benefit in terms of reducing spoilage. Also, the possibility of centralized processing and shipping allows us to ship (to) anyone in the world.”

For more information on the 24^th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation check out the web page here.

– Shanna Moore, Global Director, DuPont Packaging Sustainability

The DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation is the packaging industry’s longest running, independently judged, global awards program honoring packaging materials, processes and technology. Judges of this award include outside experts from some of the leading companies in the industry. A growing trend among winners is the way innovative packaging can address such important issues as sustainability and food security.

Packaging as Food Security

One aspect of food security is the need to produce more food for a growing world population. But reducing waste also is a factor in feeding more people.  According to a recent study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, approximately one third of all food produced in the world gets lost or wasted.  Packaging protects foods from damage during distribution, prevents bacteria and diseases from produce spoiling, and allows retailers to keep food on their shelves for a longer period of time.

In the Words of a Juror Award judge Louis Lindberg, Global Design & Sustainability Director at Unilever, suggests that “Packaging has the ability to preserve far more than it uses … if you take into consideration the amount of energy, fuel and water that’s required to grow, harvest and distribute crops safely all the way to the consumer’s table … packaging has the ability to keep your product clean, to keep it at a high quality, to give it a longer shelf life, to keep the freshness about it.”

Winner Examples

Past winners of this award include:

• Coca Cola in Japan reduced the overall weight of its bottle by 40%.  Once consumed, the bottle can be easily crushed into a very small size.
• Frito-Lay created a completely compostable bag for its Sunchips brand which can divert packaging from ever reaching the landfill.

Find out more about the significance of packaging in addressing food security from some of the judges in the video below. Stay tuned to this website as we will be announcing the winner of the 24^th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation on May 11.  For more information about the award, check out the DuPont webpage.

– Shanna Moore, Global Director, DuPont Packaging Sustainability

I would like to introduce you to Iowa native Jill Euken and her family, who have been involved with 4H for more than 80 years. I, myself, spent 8 years with 4H projects in the 1960s.  DuPont is supporting global 4H to develop leadership institutes in 5 African countries that will train adults to create sustainable livelihoods, and improve household and national food security for people across the continent.  From Denmark to Iowa, learn about some of the memorable and lasting experiences 4H work has had on both my family and the Euken family.

– Jim Borel, Executive Vice President, DuPont