New pouch-based foods from Boland Pulp

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Chef ease is a timesaving range of simple bases of vegetable and fruit purees, concentrates and condiments, without preservatives, artificial additives or artificial colorants being used in the manufacturing process.

The re-sealable and innovative pouch packaging has a 12-month shelf life and, once opened, keeps for at least two weeks in the refrigerator, depending on the product. This allows chefs to add flavour easily and cost-effectively while creating their signature dishes.

The launch, scheduled for May 2012, will offer convenient 500 g pouches of tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce, tomato basil pizza & pasta sauce, peach & apricot chutney and barbeque marinade. In 125 g pouches, the range offers peri peri sauce, tomato paste, applesauce, smooth guava jam, smooth blackberry jam and smooth apricot jam.

Baby's range offers orchard freshness

Following the success of Squish Pure Fruit Smoothies, Squish Baby is the latest product from Boland Pulp. It is 100% natural, packed full of essential vitamins and minerals and has no additives, colorants, preservatives, added sugar or sweeteners.

The innovative packaging technology ensures safety with the trend of moving from glass toward pouch.

The range is designed with weaning in mind and introduces babies from 8 months to a variety of new flavours. Squish Baby pouches are 125 g and have a 12 month shelf life. The spout pouch is re-sealable and once opened it can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours. A spoon cannot be placed in the pouch, therefore the risk of microbe contamination is reduced significantly and, since it can be stored at room temperature whilst sealed, it is ideal for travelling, camping, as a snack in the car or the pram.

Packaged at the source from locally grown produce, its smooth consistency and flavourful taste is the ideal way for parents to introduce babies to solid food. Offering 40% more product per pouch than the imported offering and retailing at around R7.99, makes it value for money too.

It offers the following flavours:

• Banana & Prune Puree with Apple
  
• Butternut & Carrot Puree with Apple
  
• Sweet Potato & Butternut with Apple
  
• Carrot & Pea Puree with Apple
  
• Rice Porridge with Banana
  
• Sweetcorn Puree with Apple

Meeting international demand locally

The decision to build the pouch factory was based on trends in Europe and US, where spout pouch technology is proving to be the most popular packaging solution seen in decades - no more heavy glass jars or bulky plastic bottles. The pouches are made of a high-barrier material and are lightweight as well as taking up less space on shelf.

Using pasteurization as opposed to preserving with chemical agents, the local products offer a solution to an ever-growing health conscious market. The stand-up spout-pouch makes re-sealing easy and product can be eaten directly from the pouch or decanted as required.

The company has begun co-packing for several big brands and consumers will soon be familiar with the pouch concept in many varied food applications. The company is confident that the recipes it has developed and the spout-pouch packaging pioneered in South Africa will see the Chef Ease and Squish ranges become popular brands.