Kroger pasta sauce gets a retortable carton

Corelli™ pasta sauces are now available at Kroger stores in the Tetra Recart™, a shelf-stable, retortable carton from Tetra Pak, Inc. (www.tetrapakusa.com) that's designed to protect taste and freshness. Unveiled at Kroger nationwide in June, the line of sauces in the distinctive packaging includes four super-premium varieties: Marinara, Roasted Garlic, Tomato Basil and Five Cheese. The Corelli brand has been successfully tested in the tomato category by several retailers. The products contain completely fresh ingredients, including authentic parmesan-reggiano and pecorino cheeses.

Tetra Pak says that Tetra Recart technology provides enhanced shelf-stability advantages and valuable supply-chain efficiencies. The absence of metal in the package's contact surface helps promote a fresh taste, while the material structure protects the product from undesirable color changes caused by light during distribution and retail display. The 13.8-oz package can be opened with no utensils and is reclosable. Also, the carton is break-resistant. Space- and cube-efficient, easy-to-stack and easy-to-open via a laser-perforated feature, the retortable carton is made of a polypropylene/paperbaord/PP/adhesive/foil laminate, incorporating proprietary plastic polymers. The foil also provides barriers, while the specially developed fiberboard structure collectively allows the package to be retorted at conventional retort temperatures (up to 262 deg F for up to two hr). Process printing is available, Tetra Pak says.