Are you doing the business of mass-producing soup products? Are you seeking suitable methods of containing your delicious products? How to preserve the quality and delicacy of the soup? If you want to know the answer, keep reading. This article will introduce the different materials, methods, and machines used for packaging soup products.
Important Functions of Your Soup Packaging
Protection And Leak-Proof
The protective function is the most basic function of soup packaging. Soup containers should be able to protect your soup products from leaking and external contamination so that their product quality and shelf life can be guaranteed. To achieve these basic functions, you must ensure that your packaging uses high-barrier materials and has a secure seal.
You can use snap-on lids or lids with integrated gaskets. Protecting the quality of your soup is protecting your business reputation.
Regulation Compliance
As packaging for food products, soup packaging must comply with relevant safety standards for materials. Materials that come into contact with the soup must be safe and non-migratory, and must not release substances that are harmful to the human body under specific usage conditions, such as high temperature and acidity.
The information on the packaging label must not only be truthful, accurate, and complete, but also clear enough and easy for customers to understand, and must not contain any wrong content or content that misleads customers. The importance of complying with standards is not only protecting consumers’ health, safety, and customers’ right to information of products, but also protecting businesses themselves from the risks of product recalls, being punished, and damaging their reputation.
Durability And Stackability
The durability of packaging is very important during the entire transportation and storage process of soup products. Soup packaging should be made of high-strength materials to withstand stacking pressure and prevent damage, such as cracking. Reinforcing the bottom and sides of the container can prevent damage caused by squeezing and bumping during transportation, and minimize soup leakage.
Besides, the good stacking design of the soup packaging allows products to be stacked neatly and stably, simplifying the loading and unloading stage of the products, saving required warehouse space, increasing the loading capacity of logistics vehicles, and making it easier for transportation workers to work.
Convenience of Use
In addition to basic essential functions, the packaging of soup products should also include functions that can improve the consumer experience. For example, microwave-safe and freezer-safe soup containers enable customers to reheat or store leftover soup conveniently without needing to transfer it. Insulated soup containers can keep heated soup at the ideal temperature for a longer period of time.
Soup containers with features such as leak-proof seals and easy-pour spouts make the soup products easier for customers to carry and consume. These designs that make the soup products easier for customers to use convey your care for your customers and can attract their desire to repurchase.
Brand Promotion
Soup packaging is a chance to be seized for directly communicating with your customers. You can use unique patterns and bright colors to make your packaging more prominent on the store shelves to attract customers’ attention. You can also put the product’s unique advantages and the story of your brand on the packaging.
When customers open the packaging, they can feel the quality of the materials and the details designed with care, such as the secure seal and convenient handle, which directly elevate the brand’s image. A successful packaging can both increase product sales and improve the brand awareness.
Different Materials for Soup Packaging
Plastic
Plastic is a widely used packaging material for soup products. It is cost-effective and can be made into containers of various sizes, flexibly adapting to different portions of soup. Plastic containers typically can provide good sealing, effectively preventing soup leakage.
However, plastic’s heat retention is not very good. Some kinds of plastics may absorb grease or pigments and leave residual stains after holding oily or dark-colored soups, resulting in unpleasant visual effects.
Therefore, the material properties of plastic soup containers are very important. You should choose materials labeled as food-grade and with more stable chemical properties, such as PP(Polypropylene) or PET(Polyethylene Terephthalate), which are safe and durable enough to meet the requirements of your soup products.
Paperboard
Paperboard is a kind of environmentally friendly material and can be used for both primary and secondary packaging of soup products. When used as a container that comes into direct contact with soup, the inside of the paperboard container is typically lined with plastic or wax.
However, compared to other packaging materials, they are more prone to breakage or leakage, so they are not suitable for oily soups. Instead, they are suitable for light soup products with short shelf lives and do not require long-distance delivery.
When used as secondary packaging, cardboard can cooperate with soup containers of various materials and formats, providing stable support and a large space for display.
Foam
Foam materials, such as EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) or EPP (Expanded Polypropylene), have excellent thermal insulation properties and are extremely light. It can effectively slow the heat transfer, thus maintaining the temperature of soups for long periods, whether keeping hot soups warm or cold soups chilled.
Besides, foam materials are lightweight, which can greatly reduce the products’ packaging weight and transportation costs. However, these materials are generally not as strong as rigid plastics or glass and require protection against compression during transportation.
Furthermore, they have a negative impact on the environment, so they are being increasingly restricted from use by regulations and bans.
Glass
The advantages of glass are its great stability and high-end feel. As an inert material, glass does not react with the fats, acids, or salts in soups, preserving the original flavor of the food in its purest form and completely eliminating the risk of off-flavors. It is transparent, so glass containers can directly showcase the contents of the soup and improve the customers’ trust and purchase intent.
Besides, glass has excellent heat and cold resistance, so it can withstand high-temperature filling or be directly heated, as well as refrigeration. However, glass is heavy, which significantly increases logistics costs, and it is fragile, requiring more secondary packaging protection during the transportation of products. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for premium soup products that need to improve quality or promote an environmentally friendly and recyclable concept.
Metal
Metal packaging has excellent insulation, high strength, and superior sealing properties. It can completely block out light and oxygen, effectively preventing the loss of delicacy and nutritional value in soups, so it can be used for long-term storage of soups at room temperature. Besides, metal containers are very sturdy and have strong pressure resistance, which greatly prevents the products from damage during transportation.
The disadvantage of metal containers is that the contents are completely invisible. The information can only be conveyed to consumers through label design.
Different Kinds of Soup Packaging
Soup Can
A soup can has a cylindrical shape and is typically made of tinplate or aluminum. After the soup is poured into the can, the can is evacuated to create a vacuum, and then the lid is sealed to the can body tightly using a can sealing machine, creating an airtight seal. With the help of high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization technology, canned soups can be preserved for several years without preservatives.
The inside of the can is coated with a food-grade lining to prevent the soup from coming into direct contact and chemically reacting with the metal. This packaging is extremely durable, easy to stack, and cost-effective, making it ideal for large-scale production and long-distance transportation.
Mason Jars
As a soup packaging, Mason jars consist of a glass wide-mouth screw-top bottle and a two-piece metal lid, creating an excellent airtight seal. Their high-borosilicate glass material is able to withstand the sudden changes in temperature. The changes make them suitable for hot-filling and preservation in small-batch commercial scenarios.
Mason jars not only perfectly showcase the color and texture of soups, but their vintage and classic design also gives customers a feel of natural and handcrafted quality. However, the galvanized lids are susceptible to corrosion when in contact with acidic contents for long periods. Therefore, they are more suitable for high-end soup products that focus on visual marketing.
Soup Pouches
Stand Up Pouches
The stand up pouches are made of high-barrier materials and can be tightly sealed to protect soup products from damaging factors, such as oxygen, light, and moisture. They are a great choice for soup products, such as stock, marinades, and broths, to keep them in good taste and maintain their freshness.
The stand-up design of stand up pouches makes them able to stand securely on store shelves and dining tables, attracting customer attention and being convenient to use. Some stand up pouches are made from special materials that can be refrigerated or microwaved.
Spout Pouches
Spout pouches have spouts and are suitable for cream of mushroom soup and gravies. Their spouts allow consumers to pour soups into other containers without spills. Compared with other soup containers, the spout pouches are light and have compact structures. They are easy to store and carry around.
Retort Pouches
Retort pouches are made from composite materials. Its material is typically composed of aluminum foil and different kinds of plastic films. It has high barrier properties and can withstand high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, allowing soups to be stored at room temperature for long periods without additional preservatives. The bag’s shape also facilitates rapid heat transfer, ensuring more even heating of the soup during sterilization and reheating.
Soup Tubs
Soup tubs typically refer to plastic soup cups or bowls with airtight lids. These containers are made from food-grade plastics such as polypropylene. They are lightweight and provide good leak-proof sealing, which makes them easy to carry around. Their bowl or cup shape also makes them convenient for direct consumption.
Although the soup tub is inexpensive and easy to produce, its heat resistance is limited, usually not exceeding 90°C, and it has a risk of trace substance migration or flavor transfer when containing oily soups.
Therefore, it is primarily suitable for soups that can be consumed shortly after production, but less suitable for soups that require long-term storage, repeated heating, or those positioned as high-end products.
Paperboard Soup Boxes
Paperboard Soup Boxes are made of paperboard. They are primarily used for containing dry soup mixes or as secondary packaging. They are not simple outer boxes or sleeves, but have carefully designed three-dimensional structures and internal supports, often formed through technologies such as die-cutting, folding, and locking mechanisms to create stable structures like double-layer, built-in dividers, or self-standing designs.
These structures allow structural soup boxes to hold soup containers, spoons, or ingredient packets, ensuring they remain securely in place during transport and providing protection against compression.
It can also present the product excellently, with its large flat surface providing space for high-end printing and creative design. However, its manufacturing process also means higher costs and complex procedures. Therefore, it is suitable for high-end soups used as premium gifts.
Convenient Soup Cups
Convenient soup cups are typically made from food-grade plastic and coated paper, consisting of a leak-proof sealed lid and a microwave-safe cup body. Many designs also thoughtfully integrate a folding spoon under the lid. The customers can eat the soup immediately after opening without needing extra utensils. It perfectly meets the needs for convenience in today’s fast-paced lifestyles.
The function of the convenient soup cup is to allow consumers to quickly obtain, heat, and consume single servings of soup in stores. However, its material strength and sealing properties are typically only enough for short-term preservation and single use, making it unsuitable for long-term storage, so it is primarily used for ready-to-eat soups.
Soup Packaging Machines
There are various soup packaging machines available for different soup containers or packaging stages. Here are some typical kinds of soup packaging machines.
Vertical Form Fill Seal Machine for Soup
The vertical form fill seal machine is suitable for liquid soups with good flowability, such as clear soups, broths, and concentrated juices. It pulls the film vertically downwards and folds it into a tube, forming a back seal or side seal through a longitudinal sealing device.
After that, a metering pump dispenses a precise amount of liquid soup into the forming bag tube. After expelling excess air, a horizontal sealing device seals the top of the bag above the liquid level. It cuts and separates the bag at the same time to form a back-sealed or three-sided sealed pillow-shaped bag.
Vertical form fill seal machines have a small footprint and extremely fast packaging speeds, making them suitable for producing small portions of soups on a large scale, such as soup products ranging from tens to hundreds of milliliters.
However, due to the vertical downward orientation of the filling nozzle, the machine has difficulty handling soups containing large solid particles that can clog the nozzle or damage the packaging bags.
Horizontal Form Fill Seal Machine for Soup
The horizontal form fill seal machine can handle soups containing solid particles such as meat chunks, mushrooms, and beans, as well as viscous soups like cream soups and borscht. It pulls the packaging film horizontally through a sealing mechanism to form stable bags with an upward opening.
The filling nozzle extends horizontally or at an angle into the bag during filling, so the solid ingredients, such as meat and vegetables in the soup, can be prevented from being damaged or crushed. After filling, the equipment vacuums or flushes the bag with nitrogen, and finally heat-seals the bag opening, creating a four-sided sealed stand-up pouch with a flat appearance and a large display area.
Horizontal form-fill-seal machines offer higher filling accuracy and product adaptability, and can switch flexibly between different formulations. However, its speed is generally lower than that of the vertical machines, and the equipment also occupies more space. It is the mainstream choice for producing high-quality soups, such as thick soups and soups containing solid ingredients.
Canning Machines for Soup
This machine is designed for soup products specifically. It can automatically achieve precise filling, vacuum sealing, and airtight sealing of canned soups in a clean and sterile environment. The equipment uses a precise valve system to fill the soup with a certain amount, then creates a vacuum inside the can through venting or steam injection, and finally uses a sealing head to tightly crimp the can lid to the can body, forming an absolutely airtight structure.
After that, a sterilization autoclave will apply high temperature and high pressure to the canned soups, killing all bacteria inside and ensuring a long shelf life for the products without the need for preservatives.
Labeling And Coding Machines for Soup
Labeling and coding machines are crucial equipment at the end of the soup packaging production lines. They can automatically and accurately label product information on soup packaging, such as cans, cups, or outer boxes. Labeling machines are responsible for securely and neatly attaching paper or film labels with important information, such as brand name, product name, and ingredients, to the designated location on the packaging.
The coding machines are responsible for printing data such as production dates, expiration dates, batch numbers, barcodes, onto labels on the packaging or directly onto packaging surfaces with non-contact inkjet, laser, or thermal transfer technologies.
Labeling and coding ensure that each product is clearly identified and traceable, which not only meets the labeling requirements of food safety regulations but also directly impacts the efficiency of the production line, the management of storage and logistics, and the brand image in the eyes of consumers.
FAQ
What Standards Must Soup Packaging Apply to?
All materials in soup packaging that come into contact with the soup must comply with national standards, such as the US FDA food contact material regulations, to prevent harmful substances, such as heavy metals. They also ideally should not contain PFAS, as restrictions on these substances are gradually increasing.
Canned soups stored at room temperature must undergo heat sterilization and be securely sealed. The packaging must include complete and accurate mandatory information, such as ingredients. Some countries require labeling of packaging materials and recycling instructions.
What Standards Must Soup Packaging Machines Apply to?
The machines must comply with both food safety and equipment safety standards. The materials that come into contact with food must comply with the food contact material regulations of the target market, such as the EC 1935/2004.
The structures of the machines should comply with food safety systems such as HACCP and GMP. In addition, the machines should also comply with mechanical and electrical safety standards to ensure stable and safe operation of the equipment and to meet export compliance requirements.
What Are The Benefits of Packaging Soup Products with Pouches And Bags?
Compared with traditional soup cans, cups, or bowls, pouches and bags have many unique advantages. They are light and take up less space in storage, transportation, and shelf. Besides, they have many customisable functions, such as spouts for the ease of pouring soups into other containers, and resealable caps help keep leftover soup fresh.
Are Soups Packaged in Plastic Containers Safe?
Yes, as long as the soup containers are made from food-grade plastics that meet safe standards, such as the GB 4806 series, ensuring that no harmful substances migrate into the soup during use.
You’d better indicate the safe heat resistance temperature of the plastic used on the packaging to remind customers to avoid overheating, which could make the container deform or release harmful substances. You should also indicate whether the container is suitable for microwave heating.
What Types of Soups Are Suitable for Packaging in Retort Pouches?
Retort pouch packaging is ideal for packaging soups with good fluidity and a relatively uniform texture. The soup should flow smoothly and not be too viscous. Besides, solid particles such as vegetable pieces or meat chunks in the soup must be small and soft enough to prevent sedimentation, puncturing the inner layer of the packaging, or affecting heat transfer during filling and sterilization.
It is not suitable for soups containing large, hard, bony, or ingredients with significantly different densities.
Final Thoughts
Now you understand the different packaging materials, packaging formats, and packaging machines used for soups, as well as the appropriate packaging solutions for different types of soups. If you would like to learn more about the topics mentioned in the article, please contact JOCHAMP. Our engineers will answer your questions and recommend suitable solutions based on your specific situation, such as your existing production lines.