When a food industry client of Multi Packaging and Printing was having trouble with bags of cheese bursting, the Newton-based company turned to CIRAS, which had the perfect resource to address the problem: the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium (PFPC).
Some Multi Packaging and Printing bags burst after being filled with cheese, sealed, and dropped 20 feet into a tote. A PFPC team researched the bags and recommended adjustments to the manufacturing process to ensure that sufficient adhesive and heat were applied. The solution helped retain a valued customer, said Franchette Braaksma, president of Multi Packaging and Printing.
“We can take our product directly to the consortium,” Braaksma said. “Being able to be there and relay to them what our customer tells us is a real benefit.”
“Iowa manufacturers currently make up about 38% of our membership base and have submitted about 72% of projects completed to date,” said Keith Vorst, consortium director and associate professor of food science and human nutrition. “Companies with a manufacturing presence in Iowa utilize our testing capabilities more often than the non-Iowa companies.”
PFPC has evolved into a premier packaging research institute. Its world-class research facility at Iowa State has ten labs, including analytical labs, manufacturing labs, and state-of-the-art technology.
The consortium focuses on various issues relating to food packaging, including regulatory compliance, post-consumer polymer recycling, shelf-life extension, and biobased feedstocks for packaging. Funding sources for this work include government agencies, grants from industry, and nongovernmental organizations. The work has become increasingly important as companies face more regulation related to PFAS, a group of chemicals used in packaging materials that may harm human health.
“Our members have unfettered access to experts in the polymer and food packaging industry who can assess common industry issues and provide solutions,” Vorst said.
Proximity to this expertise “provides Iowa companies with a competitive advantage,” said Braaksma.
For more information, contact Rachel Hahn at rhahn@iastate.edu or 515-620-8093.