Shaped cans have hit the mainstream with the launch of two Premier Foods brands in waisted-in and cauldron-shaped profiles.
Shaping technologies for steel and aluminium have been available for a while, and high-profile launches such as the 'square'-section foodcan have caught the imagination of the national press. But this is the first time that a major canmaker (Crown Food Europe) has linked up with a leading UK brand for a commercial launch in vacuum-processed foods. The two Crosse & Blackwell brands are the Waistline range of diet ready meals (380g) and a Halloween Vampire Tomato Soup with Ghoul Pasta (370g).
Importantly, says Crown, the hourglass-shaped Waistline cans have been designed to run on existing filling and retorting machinery. As well as the shaping technology, the cans incorporate easy-open Eole III ends and full-length shrink sleeves.
Says Steve Thomas, marketing manager at Crown Food UK & Ireland: "A wide variety of shapes can be produced with fine detail and significant expansion capability."
