Tesco Plc has extended its Roast in a Bag range with a new Roast Beef Joint packed in FFP’s award winning Estercook High Temperature packaging.

Working closely with international retail meat-packaging specialist Hilton Food Group, FFP produced the high quality, food-safe and fully compliant ovenable packaging within a short project timescale.

Estercook Ovenable packaging has allowed Tesco to successfully extend their already popular Roast in the Bag range. Key benefits of the pack include reducing the consumer need to handle raw meat and increasing the convenience of cooking. Additionally the triple laminate of the pack allows for a long shelf life, keeping the beef product fresh for more than four days.

In just a few weeks, the Beef Roasting Joint Roast in a Bag packaging had to undergo a range of tests to ensure it was fully complaint with the Food Contact Framework Regulations; production, machine and line trials had to be conducted, and thousands of kilograms of ovenable film produced, printed, laminated, cured and slit.

With over half a century of experience in high temperature packaging and working in partnership with the UK’s top retailers and brand owners, FFP was able to achieve the product launch within a very short timescale, including a last minute increase in the packaging order before the official product launch. The new Tesco Beef Roasting Joint in the Bag has proven to be a hit with consumers, exceeding the retailer’s predicted sales just weeks after the product launch.

The project has been a huge success and Julian Marks, Product Development Manager at Hilton Food Group Plc, said, ‘Although the project’s timescale has been somewhat challenging, FFP has taken on the task head on and managed it brilliantly every step of the way’.

FFP has ended the year with a second Miraflex AM delivered and commissioned in December 2015. This recent acquisition was part of a substantial, over £2m investment in the last 12 months in various equipment, software and machinery, increasing FFP’s print capacity by 20% per year.

FFP’s experience with our first Windmöller and Hölscher Miraflex flexo press has proven that it is the top quality design and technology, allowing for economical production across a range of print run lengths and material specifications. FFP’s decision in purchasing a second Miraflex derives from company’s confidence in the high degree of operational reliability as well as the outstanding print quality and notably improved set-up times and reduced wastage.

In addition, prior to Miraflex Printing Press investment, in the past 12 months FFP has acquired a second reseal label applicator, an AV SAMM automatic plate mounter and a water wash plate processor, which have significantly increased the company’s capability. FFP has further invested in additional hot room space that is essential to the curing process of Estercook products and forms part of the testing and compliance food safety requirement. The new facilities increase FFP’s previous curing capacity by six times from 40 to 240 production reels, now being the largest in the industry.

FFP has also made further investments in our Print Development department, purchasing new Colour Management software X-Rite ColorCert and IQC, Epson proofing system and exact spectrophotometers. The new software and equipment allow for more precise and consistent results, which provide FFP’s customers with reliable brand integrity across the shelf and more accurate colour control through the print run.

As Paul Hesketh, FFP’s Print Development Manager has put it in an article for Converting Today, ''as an Innovative business we are always looking to bring new products to the market, and strive to be the best in our sector'', which was the key drive for company’s further investments along with the increasing demand for FFP’s Award winning products and expertise.