Cryovac® OS Films Take Home Highest Honor

WorldStar Awards Salute Technology of Innovative Oxygen Scavenging System

DUNCAN, S.C. (May 6, 2003) - Sealed Air, a worldwide leader in fresh food packaging, has been awarded one of the packaging industry’s most important international honors - the 2002 WorldStar Award in the food category. Cryovac® OS Films was recognized for its unsurpassed oxygen scavenging capabilities and the packaging design used as the lidding film of Nestlé’s® Buitoni® brand refrigerated pasta. The WorldStar Award honor comes after the same package design was presented with a Diamond Award and a Gold Award at the DuPont Awards, the Highest Achievement Award from the Flexible Packaging Association and an AmeriStar Award from the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

The WorldStar Awards, presented by the World Packaging Organization, are the pre-eminent international awards in packaging. To qualify for entry in the WorldStar Awards, a package design must first win a national award, such as the AmeriStar Award. WorldStar Award entries are judged based on design innovation, protection, economics, performance, marketing and environmental impact. This year’s judging took place Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, 2002 in Tunis, Tunisia. The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprising of world packaging leaders from the World Packaging Organization, the International Packaging Press Organization and International Association of Packaging Research Institutes.

Developed by Sealed Air, Cryovac® OS Films represent a breakthrough in oxygen scavenging technology. Composed of a polymer-based film that quickly removes residual oxygen in MAP and vacuum packaging, Cryovac® OS Films achieve less than one-tenth of one percent or mere "parts per million" levels of oxygen in three to eight days, depending on the application and packaging conditions. Oxygen scavenging is initiated "on demand" - with a patented ultraviolet-light triggering process. The faster scavenging capability achieved by the Cryovac® OS System, including Cryovac® OS Films, the Cryovac® Model 4100 series ultraviolet-light triggering unit and a specially developed quality assurance program, more quickly removes oxygen - slowing mold and bacteria growth sooner. Therefore, the bacteria count is reduced at a product’s sell-by or code date, and natural food colors and nutrition quality are better protected.

By virtually eliminating residual oxygen levels, Cryovac® OS Films extend product shelf life. This enables perishable products to be shipped farther, expanding the range of distribution, and creating new distribution channels and selling opportunities. In addition, the improved scavenging capability delivered by OS Films raises the possibility of increasing packaging line speeds, particularly when vacuum or gas-flushing steps needed to remove oxygen bottleneck production throughput.

World Packaging Organization’s 2002 WorldStar Packaging Awards

This year’s WorldStar Awards were presented during a ceremony in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday, April 1, 2003. For more information about the WorldStar Awards, visit the World Packaging Organization’s Web site at www.packaging-technology.com.