Food Packaging: Milk in a stick

IMA Dairy & Food USA helped develop the “Milk in a Stick” package for Lakeland Dairies. Source: IMA Dairy & Food USA.

MA Dairy & Food USA has introduced a new packaging option for hot beverage condiments—the “Milk in a Stick” package. Developed for Lakeland Dairies, the new aseptic product format meets efficiency and passenger service needs for a variety of sectors, most notably the commercial airline industry.

Weighing up to 45 percent less than traditional mini-cups, the stick packs help save crucial inflight weight for the aviation segment. Additionally, because the sticks are up to 50 percent less bulky than mini-cups, they require less storage space and produce less on-board waste.

Stylish and easy to open, the Milk in a Stick packs also are consumer friendly. Plus, the packing material is stronger and more flexible than materials used for traditional mini-cups. The longer, broader packaging format also offers upgraded branding opportunities.

The new packages are currently being produced at Lakeland Dairy’s Ireland facility on an IMA Hassia SAS 20/30 aseptic pouch form/fill/seal machine, which makes stick packs from 60 to 225mm in length and 26 to 80mm wide with volumes up to 250ml. It produces as many as 24,000 stick packs per hour. Manufactured with hygienic standards, the SAS 20/30 machine can operate as many as eight lanes.

“Milk in a Stick exemplifies the primary benefits of aseptic stick packs, which are extended shelf life and enhanced product quality, achieved without the use of additional preservatives,” says Arnold Lawner, vice president of sales for IMA Dairy & Food USA. “In this instance, the IMA Hassia form/fill/seal machine enables Lakeland Dairies to offer an innovation that meets the specific needs of major customer segments, including the sought-after aviation industry.”

For more information:

Arnold Lawner, IMA Dairy & Food USA, 727-521-3100,
alawner@oystarusa.com, www.imadairyfood.com.

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Debra Schug was Editor-in-Chief of Food Engineering. She began her media career over a decade ago writing and producing broadcast news for both television and radio at the local and national level. She spent many years as the managing editor for two trade magazines in the oil industry and the research editor for an annual petroleum report. She has a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University.