Consumer concerns about mold in the children’s drink have plagued the brand, with US licensee Kraft Foods admitting it ‘can potentially happen’ because the product is free from preservatives.
Capri Sun said the clear bottom makes it easy to check drinks contain “what Moms expect and nothing they don’t.”
Confidence in juice drinks
Caroline Krajewski, Kraft, told FoodProductionDaily.com the packaging was changed in response to comments from customers.
“Many Moms have told us they simply want to see inside the pouch - to see what a juice drink with no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors looks like,” she said.
Mold can grow in juice drinks that have been exposed to air, and Capri Sun advises consumers to squeeze the pouch to check for leaks before serving.
Asked if the clear pouches will be used to reassure consumers about mold, Krajewski said, “Being able to more easily detect a pouch that may have been punctured or is leaking is one of a number of benefits. We want people to be as confident in our juice drinks as we are.”
Capri Sun spent a year developing the packaging. The clear panel is only on the base and the side panels have not been changed.
Resistance to punctures
“The clear bottom is a 2-ply laminate material,” Krajewski said. “The inner layer - the one in contact with the juice drink - is the same material used in the current foil laminate structure. The outer layer was selected because of its transparency, durable nature and resistance to punctures. Still, there is no way to guarantee that a pouch will never get cut or punctured.
“We did explore making Capri Sun pouches with a clear back, but ultimately found that combining two different packaging materials – front and back – created manufacturing problems.
“The clear bottom allows us to preserve the look and feel of the iconic pouch while being able to see inside.”
Capri Sun tells consumers juice varieties can look slightly different as no artificial colors are used, and the product may contain pulp from fruit.
All varieties of original Capri Sun Juice Drinks, Roarin’ Waters Flavored Water, 100% Juice Drinks, and Super V Fruit and Vegetable Drinks will have a clear bottom. Packaging for the Capri Sun Big Pouch has not been changed.
A question and answer page on Kraft's website responds to concerns about mold. "Although it’s very rare, it is possible for food mold to grow inside containers of preservative-free juice drinks that are exposed to air," it said.
"What usually forms is a common food mold, similar to what might grow on fruit or bread. In the past, experts have told us there are no significant or long-term health effects associated with consuming this type of mold."
"In some cases when people think they have found a “worm” found inside a Capri Sun pouch it was actually mold. While this is not a common occurrence, it can potentially happen because the product is free of artificial preservatives."