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Aug 20, 2023

German grocer becomes first in Europe to embrace first major jar lid innovation in 75 years

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18-May-2023 - Last updated on 18-May-2023 at 15:07 GMT

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The lid, made by CCT, will hit store shelves at EDEKA stores in Krefeld, Germany, on May 25. CCT claims the product is the world’s first aluminium lug lid and reduces the amount of torque needed to open a jar by up to 50%, providing customers with a new level of accessibility. It is further claimed to be the world’s first aluminium lug jar lid – which the company claims is a more sustainable and durable alternative to traditional steel lids.

CCT calls the product the first major jar lid innovation in over 75 years, which opens up the market to those people who do not have the physical ability or who struggle regularly to open a vacuum sealed jar.

Brought to market after eight years in research and development, it allows consumers to release the vacuum seal on a jar by pressing a button on the lid. It benefits those who are dealing with arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, recovering from a surgical procedure, or just growing older.

The lid lug will be available on EDEKA Kempken’s new tomato-basil flavour of its in-house private label pasta sauce brand.

“At EDEKA, we are dedicated to providing our customers with a high-quality variety of products,”​ said Heiner Kempken, CEO of EDEKA Supermarkets in Krefeld. “I was quickly convinced that CCT’s EEASY Lid is a great innovation and a real help for many people opening jar lids. That’s why we’re presenting this new lid in our stores.”​

In March, Guglielmo’s Sauce became the first food brand to adopt the lid lug in the United States, using it on its line of pasta sauces sold in over 250 grocers.

“It is our ongoing mission to solve the decades-old problem of opening jar lids for consumers across the globe,”​ said Brandon Bach, president of CCT. “Our partnership with EDEKA Kempken allows us to bring an unprecedented level of accessibility to shoppers in Germany. Customers will be able to open their favourite jarred food products, regardless of disability or physical limitation.”​

The EEASY Lid was created after a company co-founder was approached by a close friend who underwent surgery for breast cancer. Struggling to open a jar, she asked why someone couldn’t make a jar lid that was easier to open.

According to the company, traditional jarred products on a store shelf require more than 40 in-lb of torque to open – with some requiring more than 50 in-lb. The EEASY lid takes an average of 9 in-lb of torque to open a jar.

The company is based in the US but said it is working with grocery chains, private-label brands, national brands and co-packers to bring the product to the European market. CCT has the capability to produce roughly 800 aluminium lug lids per min – more than 250 million annually. They will be available in both continuous thread (which twist on and off) and lug (which screw on and off) versions and will work on any product that is vacuum sealed - such as pasta sauces, pickles, olives and jams.

“The EEASY Lid is a modern and sustainable jar that significantly reduces the effort needed to open and reapply the lid,”​ Bach told FoodNavigator in 2021​. "Through our research we've found that nearly 50% of the market struggles to open jar lids. That's a US figure but we've got to believe that this is the same worldwide.” ​

As well as making jars easier to open, the innovation can expand market opportunities for manufacturers, said Bach. The first use case of the lid boosted sales of a private label pasta sauce in Pennsylvania-based Boyer’s Food Markets by 341% over a 12-week period, he said.

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