“Being pre-seasoned, the Roast & Boast needs no thawing or handling—it just cooks in its own roasting jacket to seal in flavor to ensure a tender, juicy turkey,” raves McRae. “It’s an awesome product.”
All in all, the Abbotsford plant processes and packages over two million turkeys per year, according to McRae, who says that the relaunch of further-processing production (FPP) at the Abbotsford plant last summer after a five-year shutdown was done in response to growing market demand—especially in the home province of British Columbia—for the protein-rich, low-calorie processed turkey products like sausages and cold cuts.
To help the FPP relaunch take flight, the company invested considerable capital into becoming the first FPP products manufacturer in Canada to use innovative, patented, reclosable packaging technology developed by the food packaging equipment experts Multivac Inc.
Used primarily for the packaging of the Tailgate-branded products such as smoked sausage, smoked sausage with cheddar, hot and mild pepperoni sticks and knackwurst—the new-generation recloseable packaging technology is applied by the recently-purchased Multivac R530 thermoform/fill/seal machine—a rollstock packaging system loaded with advanced sanitary and hygienic features such as reduced flat surfaces, hermetically-sealed hollow components, one-piece construction of many parts to avoid crevices and water collection points, etc.
According to Multivac Canada Inc. president Nestor Plawiuk, “This machine is unique in the thermoformer industry in that it provides a rigid or semi-rigid pack with a snap-on reclosable lid, which Lilydale is using for its complete line of Tailgate sausages with great effect.
“The R530 has been able to provide them with a truly different look to their brand and product,” notes Plawiuk, “making it really stand out on the store shelves.”
EASY DOES IT
In addition to making the packages easier for consumers to open and reclose, the reclosable technology also enables longer shelf-life for the meat, according to Plawiuk, even after being already opened for the first time.
“Our ability to lead the way with this new packaging technology is a very good example of Lilydale’s commitment to finding exciting and innovative new ways to bring consumers a fantastic product,” says McRae, while offering special praise to the R530 thermoformer’s unique remote diagnostic capabilities.
Advertisement
