Kraft Heat Proof Chocolate Bar Wrapping

Kraft is planning to test new packaging for its chocolate bars that it claims will prevent them from melting.

The US group, which owns a range of leading international confectionary brands including Oreo cookies and Cadbury, is investigating the effectiveness of ‘thin-film' packaging for its chocolate bars that it says could "minimise melting" in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius.

NineSigma, a US design consultancy, has issued a tender on Kraft's behalf for companies to provide "proof of concept" designs using the new packaging. There is a nine month period where suppliers will be able to submit responses.

Chocolate Bar Wrapping

The tender statement issued by NineSigma says: "Kraft Foods seeks novel materials or approaches to packaging that can protect single serve chocolate bars from medium term exposure to warm ambient conditions. These products frequently experience multiple cycles of exposure to controlled and uncontrolled climates.

"Product may be shipped in controlled and uncontrolled conditions, sold by the retailer in an air-conditioned setting and consumed sometime later after having been carried on the person or in a handbag. Although current technology can provide a solution to the problem, the resultant packaging is both cost prohibitive and excessively bulky."

Nine Sigma said it wanted to hear from companies that would use "novel insulating materials, phase change material and thin film approaches that can store energy and repurpose it", and for companies offering "novel cooling or heat absorbing technologies" such as packaging triggered by temperature or light.