Menlo Park, California
April 2, 2002
Landec Corporation
(Nasdaq: LNDC), a developer and marketer of technology-based
polymer products for food, agricultural and licensed partner
applications, today announced its food technology subsidiary,
Apio, Inc., has been recognized with both gold and silver awards
by the Flexible Packaging Association for its Intellipac iceless
case liner used to package and ship Apio's whole produce
products. The Flexible Packaging Association has named the
Intellipac iceless case liner a Gold Award winner for Packaging
Excellence and a Silver Award winner in Environmental
Achievement.
The Intellipac iceless case liner received a Gold Award for
Packaging Excellence because it improves upon the traditional
industry packaging methods for some vegetables, such as
broccoli, by eliminating the use of and need for ice in the
shipping cartons. Using the traditional methods, some vegetables
are packed into waxed corrugated cartons and are covered in ice
to cool the vegetables while being transported to market.
Landec's proprietary Intellipac specialty packaging is a sealed
case liner bag inside the shipping carton. This case liner
extends shelf life and maintains crispness for high respiring
vegetables without ice. The patented packaging technology has a
very high rate of gas exchange, which can be customized to form
the appropriate atmosphere for the specific produce within the
bag, and to compensate for temperature abuse.
The Intellipac iceless case liner received a Silver Award in
Environmental Achievement because the waxless cartons used with
the case liners are recyclable, whereas the traditional methods
use more costly, non-recyclable, waxed shipping cartons.
Formed in 1950, the Flexible Packaging Association has held an
annual packaging awards program since inception. The Flexible
Packaging Achievement Awards honor packaging and converting
excellence across a broad range of the flexible packaging
industry. The awards program includes four categories --
Packaging Excellence, Technical Innovation, Environmental
Achievement, and Printing Achievement. The Gold Award is the
highest achievement that can be earned for a company's
packaging technology.
Since 1996, Landec and Apio have commercially marketed products
that use Landec's Intellipac specialty packaging for Apio's Eat
Smart(TM) fresh-cut produce line of products. In November 2000,
Apio commercialized its first whole product using its Intellipac
case liners, iceless broccoli crowns for U.S. markets. Since
that time, five new iceless case liner products for whole
produce have been introduced.
A unique feature of the Intellipac technology is its ability to
compensate for temperature abuse. As a result of the membrane's
temperature responsiveness, the optimal atmosphere inside the
case liner is maintained as temperatures change during the
distribution process. This feature is one of the key reasons the
Company's Intellipac flexible packaging can ship vegetables,
traditionally packed in ice, to distant markets without ice.
In addition to extending shelf life and maintaining crispness,
Intellipac specialty packaging also reduces dehydration,
discoloration and unpleasant odors associated with high
respiring produce by creating an ideal modified atmosphere
inside the package.
The Company's specialty packaging also reduces freight expense
by eliminating the weight and space consumed by ice. In the U.S.
markets, Apio's iceless broccoli is shipped with 72 cartons per
pallet, 30% - 50% more cartons per pallet compared to the 48-56
cartons per pallet of broccoli shipped with ice.
In addition to reducing the cost of freight, the removal of ice
from the distribution system offers additional benefits. The
Company's new packaging system eliminates the risk of ice as a
carrier of microorganisms that can potentially contaminate
produce and removes the need for expensive waxed cartons that
cannot be recycled.
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