Adhering a label to a cold, uneven surface is a significant challenge for food brand owners. Without the right adhesive, labels stiffen, flag or even fall off, which can make or break a consumer purchasing decision.

How can brand owners ensure that labels will do their jobs? Garner attention? Provide an exceptional experience with the product? Meet environmental regulations?

It’s all in the adhesive.

When it comes to food packaging, it pays to choose the right adhesive. Fortunately, there are hot-melt adhesives that are designed specifically to work in fluctuating temperatures, making them ideal for food packaging applications.

For refrigerated or frozen foods, there are three reasons why labels made with a quality hot melt, “all-temperature” adhesive, such as CHILL AT from Mactac, should be considered.

1. Secure application and adhesion to low surface energy substrates.
Hot-melt adhesives produce quick tack and create nearly impenetrable bonds between uneven and wet surfaces. Food packaging applications are often made with low surface energy substrates, making secure adherence more difficult to achieve. Hot-melt adhesives bond very effectively to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene surfaces (HDPE).

2. Temperature versatility for the production and distribution of cold foods.
Hot-melt adhesives have long demonstrated their versatility, and nowhere is that truer than in the frozen and refrigerated food industries. They resist severe temperature fluctuations, ranging from -65° F to temperatures as warm as 150° F. More importantly, a well-designed “all-temperature” adhesive, such as CHILL AT, can be applied to packaging in temperatures as low as -10° F, making them ideal for fast and easy packaging solutions.

Many cold food labeling applications specify the use of hot-melt adhesives, including general refrigerated and frozen foods labeling, beverage labeling, meat and poultry labeling and cheese labeling.

For example, meat plants must use labels that stand up to cold storage shipping. The labels must also be sturdy enough to be handled by workers and durable enough to withstand travel through the supply chain and stocking.

For cheese distribution, products are often packed, transported and stored at temperatures ranging from 34° F to 38° F, which can cause the packaging to harden. Hot melts address these issues by creating solid, non-permeable bonds that keep moisture out and the label on.

3. Environmentally sensitive to help meet stricter regulations.
Concerns about the environmental effects of package labeling permeate all facets of the food manufacturing sector, but none as much as in the frozen and refrigerated food market. Most manufacturers and consumers alike are sensitive to the use of adhesives that can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially when it comes to food.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are continually pushing to lower emissions. Global regulations are becoming stricter, and brand owners are seeking ways to be compliant and do their part to protect the environment.

As a result, hot melts are becoming the adhesive of choice. Not only do they help support corporate sustainability efforts, but they can also help meet current and future standards and regulations.

Mactac’s CHILL AT hot melt is certified by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), which allows for rigid polypropylene (PP) and rigid high-density polyethylene (HDPE) products to be recycled with the label on, making it easier for consumers to recycle.

Proven, recognized and certified adhesive technologies.

Hot-melt adhesives stick in all temperatures, helping the food and beverage industry ensure that their labels work on the production line, in transit, on the shelf and long after the product is consumed.

But not all hot-melt adhesives are created equally. Be sure to work with a trusted supplier with proven expertise in adhesive technologies.

With a wide breadth of adhesive formulations and technologies, Mactac specializes in innovations that stick – to whatever substrate you are working with. Its CHILL AT hot melt adhesive technology was the first to be recognized by APR for use with HDPE and PP containers, helping customers achieve their sustainability goals while creating differentiation in a competitive marketplace.

Mactac is known for personalized services and engineering support to find the right adhesive for the applications, while leveraging its global distribution resources and state-of-the-art manufacturing to help customers grow their businesses.