McCormick & Co., Inc. is unveiling a new line of sauces called Finishing Sauces in microwavable, retortable, 5-oz pouches. The move is thought to be the first time such sauces are being marketed in a retort pouch in the U.S. The five different varieties include Honey Mustard, Red Burgundy Wine for Beef, Roasted Chicken Gravy with Herbs, Creamy Mushroom and Roasted Beef. Provided by Ampac Flexibles—Converted Products (www.ampaconline.com), a unit of Ampac Packaging, LLC, the standup pouches comprise a reverse-printed adhesive lamination of high-barrier polyester/oriented nylon/polypropylene. The gusseted structure incorporates no foil, so as to be both retortable and microwavable, and can withstand retort temperatures of 250 deg F.

"There are no other wet gravies in flexible pouches [in the U.S.]. Typically these types of products are in glass jars," notes Stefanie Woodhouse, product manager of the Finishing Sauce product line at McCormick.

Converting and printing can sometimes make barrier pouch structures prone to flex cracking, which can sometimes degrade the barrier properties. McCormick wanted an easy-to-use, shelf-stable package, Woodhouse says. "We also wanted the package to have a shelf life of at least twelve months," she adds.

To facilitate ease of use, Ampac developed "cool-grip" heat seals on either side of the pouch. Located on opposing edges of the upper half of the pouch, the grips create an easy way to handle the package after it has been microwave-heated. The heat seals are wide enough to provide an adequate grip but not too wide as to interfere with the opening needed to efficiently fill and seal the pouches.

Ampac has invested in an eight-color Toshiba (www.toshiba-machine.co.jp) sectional-drive gravure press for high-definition printing. The pouches ship in a six-count corrugated display case.