Fitments and closures offer convenience for the full range of uses. A straw is incorporated in the beverage Pouch fitment. Product is dispensed by sipping, pouring or squeezing the package. Creatively engineered fitments and closures are adding value to flexible packaging, addressing requirements such as spill control, convenience and food safety. Among the innovations are fitments and closures that are compatible with food processing technologies such as aseptic filling, retorting and hot filling. Indeed, manyof the new fitments and closures are specifically designed for foods and beverages.

For both types of products, controlled dispensing for on-the-go use has emerged as a key differentiator. Beverage Pouch builds on the increasingly popular concept of flexible containers “that function like bottles, only with thinner walls. You have a flexible equivalent to a bottle and, just like a bottle, it needs a convenient way to pour and to be reclosed.

In countries like Japan, where the focus on source reduction has led to early adoption and fast growth of flexible packaging, structures that offer this level of functionality are in high demand. “It’s really taken hold throughout Japan and other parts of Asia as well as in the [European Union],” says Kozarsky. “The scale of the Cheer Pack on a global basis,excluding the United States, is measured in the billions of units.” The package can be used for products ranging from fruit juice, sports drinks and tea, to viscous products such as ice cream and herb pastes; it is compatible with retorting,hot filling, gas flushing and freezing. For ready-to-eat foods like yogurt, the package’s squeezability eliminates the need for a utensil.

Beyond food and beverages, the package can be used for lotions, cosmetics and shampoos as well as industrial inks and gels. Pouch sizes vary from 2 to 32 ounces, and the fitment is compatible with a variety of laminates. Options for filling include form-fill-seal and filling pre-formed pouches through the spout.

Filling can be accomplished using pre-made pouches and filling through the spout, or via form-fill-seal, with the spout applied after filling. The fitment is compatible with hot-filling, retorting and aseptic filling. Pouch laminates require a sealable layer such as polyethylene or polypropylene but are not limited otherwise.

Finally, a variation on the familiar zipper closure offers an option for controlled dispensing of dry products. Called the Corner Zip, the closure is a zipper attached diagonally across the corner of a stand-up pouch, the recloseable zipper provides the functionality of a spout.