Sealed Air's CRYOVAC brand is taking aim at one of the more unglamorous back-of-house chores in foodservice: the daily fill, clean, and sanitize cycle for condiment squeeze bottles. The Charlotte, N.C.-based packaging maker introduced ZeroPrep hand-dispensing pouches on Sept. 22, pitching them as a drop-in replacement for rigid squeeze containers at restaurants, c-store foodservice programs, and other prepared-food operations.
What the Pouch Does
Each ZeroPrep unit arrives pre-filled, hermetically sealed until first use, and sized between 8 and 16 fluid ounces. An easy-open seal and semi-rigid spout allow one-handed dispensing without scissors or other tools; the spout reseals between uses to prevent drips and limit contamination risk. Because condiments are never transferred into a secondary container, the pouch eliminates a cross-contamination window that squeeze-bottle systems routinely introduce during refilling. Sealed Air pegs product yield at up to 97%, a figure that matters in any operation watching food-cost variance on high-turn SKUs like ketchup, mustard, or house sauces.
For c-store foodservice directors managing roller grill condiment bars, made-to-order sandwich programs, or self-serve sauce stations, the labor math is straightforward: fewer bottles to fill at shift start, fewer to scrub at close. Squeeze-bottle prep and sanitation can absorb meaningful crew minutes during peak dayparts — time that competing chains are increasingly redeploying toward foodservice program output.
The Equipment Behind It
ZeroPrep pouches are formed on a new CRYOVAC brand vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine that combines two proprietary CRYOVAC films to produce the patented pouch geometry. The line runs at up to 80 packs per minute, a throughput figure aimed at commercial co-packers and large-volume foodservice distributors supplying chains rather than individual store operators. That positions ZeroPrep as a supply-chain and back-of-house packaging solution rather than something an SSO would install on-site.
"ZeroPrep reflects this ongoing commitment by removing the tedious task of squeeze bottle prep and cleaning, helping restaurants improve efficiency and the employee experience while supporting food safety," said Joe Lambert, Sealed Air's North America vice president of food.
Channel Fit and Outlook
The condiment-dispensing category has seen incremental innovation — portion-control packets, pump dispensers, portion cups — but flexible pre-filled pouches at the hand-dispensing scale remain a less-crowded segment. For c-store chains running proprietary foodservice programs, consistent condiment presentation ties directly to brand equity; a pouch that delivers the same flavor profile every shift supports the kind of quality consistency that loyalty members expect from a named food program.
Sealed Air will exhibit ZeroPrep alongside its VFFS system at PACK EXPO International 2026, running Oct. 18–21 at McCormick Place in Chicago (booth S-2844). Operators and procurement teams evaluating back-of-house efficiency upgrades heading into 2027 planning cycles can get specifications at sealedair.com/zeroprep.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
