Packaging
Retort Pouches
Built to go into the steriliser with the food already inside.
A retort pouch goes into a pressurised steriliser with the food already sealed inside it and comes out shelf stable. It is the only format we make that is designed to be cooked, and it is not a pouch that has been rated for heat as an afterthought — it is a different laminate built for the job.
The build. PET/AL/CPP at 180 micron, where the CPP is specifically retort grade. Ordinary cast polypropylene softens and the seal fails at retort temperatures; retort-grade CPP holds. The aluminium layer gives a very high barrier and is what makes ambient shelf stability possible without refrigeration or preservatives. Matte finish, printed up to eight colours.
What it does. Sterilising in the sealed pack means the product cannot be recontaminated afterwards, because it is never exposed to air between cooking and opening. That is how ready-to-eat curries, dals and rice sit on an unrefrigerated shelf for months. A retort pouch heats faster and more evenly than a can of the same volume, so the food is less overcooked, and it ships at a fraction of the weight.
What we need from you before we quote. Your retort process temperature and hold time, and whether you are running a water-immersion or steam retort. These decide the laminate specification. We will not quote a retort pouch on the product description alone — a pouch that fails in the steriliser destroys a whole batch and creates a food safety problem, and that is not a risk worth taking to save a phone call.
Ordering. Minimum 5,000 pieces, lead time 30 working days — the longest in our range. Retort-grade film is a specialist order and the seal integrity testing is not something to compress.
Not the same as boil-in-bag. A boil-in-bag pouch survives 100°C in a domestic pan. A retort pouch survives 121°C and above under pressure in an industrial steriliser. If you only need the former, our vacuum pouches are boil safe and cost considerably less.