Thirteen international innovations were honored August 9 as part of the 15th annual DuPont Awards competition for Innovation in Food Processing and Packaging. Winners were selected from 51 entries by a nine-member, independent judging panel. The two top Diamond Award winners were:

First Retortable Carton Packaging System for Nestle® Pet Food (Italy) produced by Tetra Pak Inc., (Sweden and US). This innovative food packaging system for Friskies dog food was commercially introduced in Italy in May 2001. The six-layer laminated carton includes plastic polymers to help the structure withstand the rigors of a low-acid food retort process. It also employs aluminum foil as an oxygen barrier and moisture-resistant fiberboard.

Printed in four-color process using heat-resistant inks, the package offers high-speed processing up to 24,000 packages/hr using a proprietary Tetra Recart™ form-fill-seal machine. The new Recart system provides food manufacturers with a consumer- and retailer-friendly alternative to metal cans or glass, suitable for vegetables, soups, ready-meals, fruit and pasta meals.

Oxygen-Scavenging Lidding Film for Nestle® Buitoni® fresh pasta (US) using Cyrovac, Inc. a subsidiary of Sealed Air Corp. (US), film. A first of its kind in the fresh pasta category, the Buitoni tray uses Cryovac® OS oxygen-scavenging film to reduce product spoilage and increase shelf life. The Saran-coated, PET-laminated package uses proprietary, coextruded multi-layer sealants. These sealant layers provide improved seal integrity and help optimize the film's oxygen-scavenging performance.

The new film replaced a conventionally laminated, oxygen-barrier structure. Unlike traditional iron-based oxygen-scavenging materials, the Cryovac OS film uses a patented "triggering" process. Once triggered, the film continues to scavenge oxygen independently of the product or environment in which it is used. These films also offer a way to control oxidative color changes, rancidity, and microbial growth.

Converted products winning Food Category "Gold" Awards were LINfresh Plus™ Foam Tray with Inner Layer for Absorbency by LINPAC Plastics (US/UK); Easy-to-Seal Slider Zipper Package for Kraft Cheese from Minigrip/ZIP-PAK, Pechiney Plastics Packaging, ITW Technical Center, and Pacmac Inc.; Sargento Shredded Cheese in Slider Package from Curwood, a Bemis Co. (US); and User-Friendly Slider Zipper Protects Fresh Produce by Eldorado Farms (Canada) and Pliant Corp. (US/Canada).

Five entries won Food Category "Silver" Awards. The Non-Food Category "Gold" Award winner was Shipping Container that Controls Temperature-Sensitive Goods for 5 Days Without Power from Kodiak Technologies, Inc. (US).

Judges' selections were based on each entry's degree of innovation, breadth of application, impact on the industry and consumers, the marketing innovation of the packaged product and the impact of the packaging on consumer or industry buying decisions. The DuPont Awards (Wilmington, DE) were inaugurated in 1986 to recognize food and non-food industry advances that use plastic packaging materials.