Brittpac launch new range of PET Food Cans using rPET

After a number of customer trials, Brittpac have launched a comprehensive range of PET food cans, with and without handles, using rPET. The food range has been launched in conjunction with a range of cans for the paint and DIY market.
Richard Fox and David Smith, directors of Brittpac, commented on the product launch. Richard said, “Many of the shareholders at Brittpac have some close connections with the food industry so when we embarked on the project, apart from the paint and DIY market, we also had a look at the snack food market, such as crisps, nuts, dried fruit and pick and mix sweets and the bird food industry which has seen prolific growth over the past few years.
The beauty of the new rPET cans is that after the initial purchase they can be used for a whole host of storage ideas for totally different things or they can be refilled with the same products and used indefinitely.”
David Smith, who was the technical brains behind the project said, “When we started to look at the snack food market we were aware that the work we had already done on the double seal lid made for an airtight and safe lid, which would result in increased product shelf life and being a see-through can enables consumers to see in an instant how much product they have left without having to open the can. The can itself is very robust therefore secondary packaging can be reduced taking the filled cans to major retailers. We have designed the can so that an induction seal could also be used if the client deems this to be necessary.”
David continued, “When we came up with the idea for the new can, we needed to work closely with a plastics company that could help us at the early design stages and enable us to bring our products to market. We identified what was then Graham Packaging Plastics of Chalgrove in Oxfordshire, Graham has since been purchased and now trades as an independent plastics company under the name of Oxford Packaging Solutions. The team then and now helped us through every stage of the way. We have a range of cans consisting of 250ml, 500ml and 750ml without handles and a 2.5 litre with a handle.”
Richard continued, “Having come up with the designs, we thought the idea of having a PET can for snack foods would be well received by consumers. Being unbreakable they offer huge safety benefits if they are used in the kitchen and storage cupboards. From our research into the snack food market and their filling operations we know these cans can be used on any filling line without any change parts or line modifications.”
The savoury snacks market is now valued in excess of £2,857bn, the UK crisps and savoury snacks was estimated at £2,226bn, nuts were valued at £317m, Popcorn £131m and baked snacks at £183m. There are now over 170 different businesses operating within the UK snacks sector. The health benefits of nuts are widely recognised, they contain vital nutrients, fibre and many micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals. On average men in the UK eat 9g of snacks a day while women eat 6g per day, this is the equivalent to 2 to 3 packets per week.
As the plastic debate continues, if consumers don’t wish to keep the can, it can go into the recycle bin, the PET recyclers have said they can easily handle the can so making it usable for any other rPET product.
For further details on the new range of Brittpac paint cans visit:
www.brittpac.com or Tel: +44 (0) 1264 315356