One challenge with “case-ready” food products is preventing leaks. Sea Star Seafood Corp., Marlborough, MA, believes it has come up with an answer in seafood with heat-sealed, film-covered trays, similar to packaging found in case-ready poultry.

Star markets the 20 varieties in its line of seafood products either with no coatings or with home-style coatings. Each package contains 12 oz of product and is stocked either in the freezer case or the refrigerator at grocers and club stores. Packages of frozen products are vacuum-sealed and trays of refrigerated seafood are sealed with a clear-film overwrap.

“We haven’t done testing yet on the effect on shelf life, but we have seen, informally, that it seems to extend the shelf life,” says Stuart Strong, Vice President of Marketing. “But officially, we’re still saying it’s a five-day shelf life.”

The leakproof packages work with the “home-style” product message to support perceptions of a gourmet brand.

Sea Star packages also rise a step above many case-ready packaged products by leveraging the label as a branding device. The label contains a redesigned logo and minimal text, and its triangular shape guides the eye to the product itself. Nutritional and other regulatory information appear on the back-panel label.

Sea Star markets the line under its own Beacon Light line in grocery stores and under private label brand names in club stores.