Crown Wins DuPont Diamond Award for Convenient Bowl Can With Peel Seam™ Lid

Tuesday, August 9, 2005
Food Cans
Investors

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CROWN Food Europe, an affiliate of Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) (Crown), has received a DuPont Diamond Award, the competition's most prestigious honor for packages deemed most innovative by the judging panel. The company received the award for its unique steel bowl with an easy-to-open Peel Seam™ peelable lid developed for William Saurin, the leading French ready-made meal producer. Crown and other recipients were honored at an awards ceremony held on Friday, August 5, 2005 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

The innovative, single-serve package helped William Saurin launch its "Salades Gourmandes," a new line of meat salads. Crown's bowl can with Peel Seam™ technology was chosen over alternative packaging solutions due to its strong shelf presence, brand-building attributes, advantages for the consumer and preservation properties.

"While consumers are seeking meals that are quick and convenient to prepare, they're still looking for variety and flavor," explained Laurence Masce, Product Manager at William Saurin. "Crown's steel packaging offers the best solution for our unique recipes. It protects product taste, fits neatly into handbags, briefcases or lunch boxes without spilling and allows consumers to enjoy their salads straight from the bowl. The lightweight and durable package truly offers a new level of simplicity and meets demands for modern 'on-the-go' lifestyles and healthy meals."

The Peel Seam™ opening system consists of a peelable flexible aluminum lid sealed on a 99mm polymer coated ring, which is then seamed to the 314ml polymer coated steel bowl, also provided by Crown. The peelable lid has a tab that allows it to be easily and safely removed from the top of the bowl. The combination of steel and polymer delivers a robust package with consistent performance during processing, resulting in optimal food safety.

Crown's technical experts worked closely with William Saurin to adapt the filling and seaming process to ensure that product taste, flavor, color and vitamins remained intact. During testing, William Saurin found that Crown technology was able to maintain these attributes along the entire supply chain, including storage by the consumer until use. "The ability of Crown's steel bowl to protect against oxygen and light ingress make it much more suitable than other packaging formats for preserving products throughout their life span," said Masce.

High-quality print on the Crown bowl and Peel Seam™ lid allow William Saurin to enhance brand recognition. This message is further conveyed when consumers open the product for consumption, where the white internal polymer reinforces product freshness and a hygienic appearance. Wrapped in carton board, the packaging is presented vertically, ensuring strong point of purchase appeal.

Following the successful launch of "Salades Gourmandes," William Saurin introduced seven new salads in 2005: "Salades Evasion" (3 exotic recipes), "Salades Soleil" (3 Mediterranean recipes) and a Tabbouleh.

Inaugurated in 1986 as an international industry competition, the DuPont Awards for Innovation in Food Processing and Packaging recognize industry innovations that utilize plastic packaging materials in food and non-food categories. DuPont sponsors the competition in cooperation with Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association in Gloucestershire, England, and the National Food Processors Association in Washington, D.C.

Entries are judged by an international panel of qualified experts representing food processing and packaging industries, graphics experts, equipment suppliers, academia, the trade press and governmental, environmental and trade organizations.

About William Saurin

William Saurin, founded in 1898 in Saint-Mande France, is owned by CCA and is a market leader in the production of ready-made meals.

About Crown Holdings, Inc.

Crown Holdings, Inc., through its affiliated companies, is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information, contact: Thomas T. Fischer, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs; Tel: (215) 698-5266; Email: thomas.fischer@crowncork.com.

For investors: Timothy J. Donahue, Senior Vice President - Finance; Tel: (215) 698-5088.

SOURCE  Crown Holdings, Inc.
    -0-                             08/09/2005
    /CONTACT:  Thomas T. Fischer, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs; 
Tel: (215) 698-5266; Email: thomas.fischer@crowncork.com, or for investors:
Timothy J. Donahue, Senior Vice President - Finance, +1-215-698-5088, both of
Crown Holdings, Inc./
    /Web site:  http://www.crowncork.com /
    (CCK)

CO:  Crown Holdings, Inc.; CROWN Food Europe; DuPont; William Saurin; Campden
     and Chorleywood Food Research Association; National Food Processors
     Association
ST:  Pennsylvania, France, England, District of Columbia
IN:  FOD
SU:  AWD

PD
-- PHTU020 --
9001 08/09/2005 13:01 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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