Claimed to be the first of its kind, a printed, stand-up, ovenable pouch has been developed by TCL Packaging (Telford / UK; www.tcl-packaging.com) and has been introduced on a range of frozen, fish-based cook-in-the-bag meals by UK supermarket chain Asda (Leeds / UK; www.asda.com). The printed “Doypack” is a sealed plastic bag that is designed to stand upright and took 12 months to develop. The packaging is suitable for microwave and conventional oven cooking up to 200 °C, the company said. The pouch can also be stored as frozen.

The Doypack is manufactured in PET to ensure rigidity and stability during cooking with no reduction in performance. The stand-up pouch format is particularly suitable for microwave ovens as it fits easily inside the device and can be safely handled when the contents are hot and poured out for serving. It has been developed as an alternative for products including sauces, ready meals and soups presently sold in rigid plastic and glass packs.

The product was developed by TCL Packaging’s technical team and has been certified by Smithers Pira (Leatherhead / UK; www.smitherspira.com) for food safety up to 220 °C (450 °F, gas mark 7). Production uses ovenable inks and employs a pouch-making conversion process that facilitates strong seals, aided by high lamination bond strength. The pack also has good slip properties for easy handling during the packing process.

Markus Jarvstrom, TCL technical director, said: “This is a technically complex and innovative product that we expect to transform how certain foods are packed. The performance of both pack and print at temperature for both cooking from scratch and reheating has been extensively tested throughout development.”