Curwood, Inc., a subsidiary of Bemis Company, recently garnered the top innovation award in the Packaging Category at the International Dairy Foods Association’s second-annual Innovation Awards. The award was conferred on Curwood’s SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal package, the first peel-reseal technology that can be used with 100% flexible packaging.

Curwood SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal packaging – the first peel-reseal technology that can be used with 100% flexible packaging – garnered top recognition in the packaging category at the recent 2013 IDFA Innovation Awards.

The new formulation gives cheesemakers a way to add easy opening and reclosability to their packaging without traditional zippers or sliders. With two to three times the retack strength of previous generations of commercially available peel-reseal systems, the robust system helps keep cheese fresh until it is consumed. Peel-reseal packaging has been available previously only in rigid or semi-rigid packaging formats.

Awarded the winning innovation in the Packaging Category, Curwood’s next-generation SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal technology allows makers of chunk, sliced or snack cheeses to offer peel-reseal convenience using flexible thermoforming films as low as 3-mil thick. Consumers just peel open the flexible package, cut a slice or chunk, then reseal the package to keep the contents fresh—they never even have to touch the cheese. SmartTack Flexible EZ Peel Reseal packaging peels cleanly open and can be resealed up to 20 times with fingertip pressure, setting a new standard for performance. The improved formulation also has enhanced tamper evidence in the form of seal whitening.

“At Curwood, we’ve seen a significant rise of interest in convenient, simple, multi-use packaging,” said Brian Sturgill, Curwood’s cheese marketing director. “We’re honored to be recognized for packaging developments that offer cheese processors new opportunities to innovate products and meet market trends.”