Global packaging leader Sonoco (Hartsville, SC) has launched to market its innovative solution to the old style metal can—the TruVue Can. The new packaging alternative has budding potential to shake up not just the canned food aisle in supermarkets, but an entire food category that has not seen any noteworthy innovation in decades and is challenged to meet the demands of a new generation of shoppers.

“With more than 47,000 products competing for attention in the average supermarket, standing out from the crowd is increasingly important,” said Sonoco President and CEO Jack Sanders. “This is especially true for processed and shelf-stable foods like soups, sauces, fruits and vegetables and even wet pet foods—products traditionally sold in a metal can in the center of the store, an area which is losing share to fresh products found on the perimeter. This new solution creates multiple placement opportunities around the store, including high-traffic areas like the perimeter.”

The TruVue can, made with Sonoco’s proprietary Fusion Freshlock Technology, consists of a highly engineered, multilayer plastic substrate that makes it transparent and the enclosed product visible to the consumer. It has an easy-open metal lid and metal bottom that consumers prefer on a traditional metal can. Also, TruVue is the first clear plastic can to withstand the rigors of continuous retort systems without overpressure, performing in high-temperature and high-pressure environments. In addition, the distinctive construction of the TruVue can provides a more uniform heating experience, a quicker retort cycle and greater strength performance throughout the supply chain, compared to competitive formats. The package is non-BPA (BPA-NIA) for food contact.

A by-product of Sonoco’s i6 Innovation Process, the TruVue Can offers excellent contact clarity, which in turn creates dramatic shelf impact and communicates the fresh brand image today’s shoppers are looking for. It runs on fully depreciated equipment assets used for traditional metal cans, thereby minimizing additional capital investment, while delivering a true marketing and merchandising advantage for canned food companies.

“Changing consumer demands are driving the need for innovation among premium brands promising freshness, authenticity and improved quality from simpler ingredients,” Sanders added. “We have developed a revolutionary alternative to the traditional metal can that provides our customers the unique opportunity to reinvent their brand, without reinventing their production process.”


Earlier this year, PlasticsToday covered the Klear Can from Milacron Holdings Corp. (Cincinnati, OH) which recently passed a critical food safety test and is undergoing further testing with a number of select prospects. The Klear Can technology is also an alternative to metal cans for fruits, vegetables, soups, meats and other products. It uses the same filling, seaming and retorting machinery as metal cans so minimal downstream investment is required.









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