Tetra Brik has put a whole new spin on product opening with its Aseptic Square resealable SpinCap. Del Monte's UK marketing controller Angela Ellis says: "The SpinCap has proved a driver for the market, particularly for products such as tomato juice that are resealed and then shaken. "It's also important products can now be stored on their side after opening, especially in the UK where fridges tend to be on the small side." Tetra Pak points out that making packaging more practical and easy to use results in fewer pouring accidents, especially among the young and old. But it also generally improves consumers' perception of a product. With the market increasingly moving towards functional products, packaging is rising to this challenge, too. "Packaging for functional foods needs to supply three essential elements: a stable environment to ensure the effectiveness of a product's bioculture throughout its shelf life, an ability to command a premium price, and a design to communicate the product's benefits on-shelf," says Elopak Pure-Pak's marketing manager Peter Barnes. He adds that packaging can also contribute strongly to price differentiation. These days if the product is to be used on the dinner table, it's got to look particularly classy. Bottle Green's Pressé has shed its country style for a new look curvaceous bottle with off the shoulder clear acetate labelling and coordinating caps. Elizabeth Steele, sales and marketing manager,explains: "The aim was to design a bottle which attracted a wider and more sophisticated audience while still appealing to our current customer base. We also wanted to build a new and strengthened brand image." Similarly, Saxon Partners has relaunched its Saxon 1050, Class 1 apple juice in clear Bordeaux style bottles in a bid to move on to the dinner table. It's aimed at the higher price bracket of £2.99-£3.50, with all its fruit juices made on its own 50 acre orchard in Suffolk. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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