FOOD PACKAGE HAVING FOOD BOWL AND INDEPENDENT TOPPING CONTAINER

Abstract

Disclosed is an optically transparent food package including a sealed food bowl that is filled with a food, such as hummus or the like, and an independent sealed topping container that is filled with a topping to be mixed with the food when the food is consumed. The food package is assembled when the topping container is laid on top of the food bowl and a lid is detachably connected to the food bowl with the topping container retained therebetween such that the topping is suspended above the food. By virtue of the sealed food bowl and the sealed and independent topping container of the food package, the food and the topping will remain separated from one another prior to, during and after the food package is subjected to a high pressure processing (HPP) treatment in order to avoid mixing the food and the topping together prior to their being consumed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a food package including a food bowl in which a food (e.g., hummus) is packaged and an independent topping container in which a topping is packaged. The food package herein disclosed has particular application to be subjected to a high pressure processing (HPP) treatment by which potentially harmful food-borne pathogens and similar organisms are eliminated while an unintended mixing of the food and the topping is avoided prior to their being consumed.

2. Background Art

It is known to expose packaged food to a conventional high pressure processing (HPP) treatment to eliminate food-borne pathogens and similar organisms. Briefly, the packaged food is held in water under extreme pressure so as to advantageously make the food safe for consumption and extend the refrigerated shelf life thereof. However, the high pressure to which the packaged food is subjected causes the food within the package to be mixed prior to its time of consumption which has, in some circumstances, been known to cause problems for food distributors and consumers alike. By way of one example, hummus is usually sold to consumers in a clear container. A colorful and tasty topping is traditionally added so as to lie on top of the hummus at which to be visible through the container in order to enhance the commercial appeal of the hummus to consumers. If the container is subjected to the high pressure HPP treatment, an unintended consequence of such treatment is that the topping is prematurely mixed with the hummus. When the hummus reaches the shelf of a retail store, the consumer is able to look through the clear container and see the mixture of hummus and topping which can be visually less appealing to the consumer than had the hummus and its topping remained separate and intact one above the other. Thus, the consumer may not be as inclined to purchase the high pressure HPP treated hummus which costs both the food distributor and the retailer a sale and may result in the hummus not being purchased at all.

Therefore, what would be desirable is a single container in which a food, such as hummus or the like, and a topping can be packaged and kept separate from one another before, during and after the container is subjected to an HPP treatment to thereby avoid the hummus and its topping from being prematurely mixed together prior to their consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, a food package is disclosed including a food bowl that is filled with a food, such as hummus or the like, and an independent topping container that is filled with a topping to be added to the food bowl and mixed with the food (i.e., hummus). Both the food bowl and the topping container are preferably manufactured from a visually transparent material that is adapted to withstand a high pressure processing (HPP) treatment by which to eliminate potentially harmful food-borne pathogens and similar organisms in the hummus and the topping with which the food bowl and the topping container are filled. The food bowl has a peripheral lip surrounding an open top and a peel-off film sealed to the peripheral lip to close the top of the food bowl and prevent the hummus from spilling out. The independent topping container also has a peripheral lip and a peel-off film sealed to the peripheral lip to close the top of the topping container and prevent the topping from spilling out.

The food package is assembled when the topping container is turned upside down so that the peel-off film thereof is laid flush against the peel-off film at the top of the food bowl. A visually transparent lid is detachably connected to the top of the food bowl at the peripheral lip thereof. The bottom of the topping container is removably received within a raised portion that is formed at the top of the lid. The topping container has an outwardly extending ridge running continuously therearound for receipt by a set of locking detents that extend around the raised portion of the lid. Accordingly, the topping container is held in place by the locking detents of the lid to lie atop the food bowl so that the topping within the topping container is suspended above the hummus. The bottom of the food bowl has a stacking recess formed therein within which to removably receive the raised portion from the lid of a different food package, whereby the food packages can be stacked vertically one above the other. By virtue of the food bowl and the independent topping container, the hummus and the topping will remain separated from one another prior to, during and after they are subjected to the HPP treatment. When it is desirable to consume the hummus, the lid is removed from the food package, and the topping container is removed from the raised portion of the lid. The topping container is turned over, and the peel-off films are peeled off the food bowl and the topping container. The topping is now poured into the food bowl where it is added to the hummus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a food package including a food filled food bowl located at the bottom of the package, a lid located at the top of the package and detachably connected to the food bowl, and an independent topping filled topping container held in place between the food bowl and the lid;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the food package shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another exploded view of the food package of FIG. 1 with the food bowl and the topping container shown empty;

FIG. 4 is another exploded view of the food package of FIG. 1 showing the lid, an exploded view of the food bowl, and an exploded view of the topping container located between the lid and the food bowl; and

FIG. 5 shows a plurality of food packages like that shown in FIG. 1 being stacked in a vertical column one above the other.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, there is shown a food bowl 1 of the kind that is capable of holding a food 3 prior to its consumption. By way of example only, the food 3 within the food bowl 1 is hummus. However, it is to be understood that other foods besides hummus can be packaged within the food bowl 1, especially those to which a topping will be added during consumption for the purpose of enhancing the taste of the food. In this regard, another example of a food 3 to be held by and packaged within the food bowl 1 is yogurt.

The food bowl 1 is preferably manufactured from a clear, visually transparent (e.g., plastic) material so that consumers can see the food 3 that is packaged therein. The food bowl 3 has an open top and a peripheral lip 5 that extends around the open top. A peel-off film 7 is sealed to the peripheral lip 5 to extend over and cover the top of the bowl 1 and prevent the food contents from spilling out.

Also shown in FIGS. 1-4 is a tapered container 9 which is separate from and independent of the food bowl 1. The container 9 is filled with a topping 10 that can be added to and mixed with the food 3 that is packaged within food bowl 1 at the time the food 3 is consumed. However, prior to removing the peel-off film 7 from the top of the food bowl 1 to access the food 3 packaged therewithin, it is preferable to separate the topping 10 from the food 3 to prevent their being prematurely mixed together.

Thus, as in the case of the food bowl 1, the tapered topping container 9 is preferably manufactured from a clear, visually transparent (e.g., plastic) material to make the topping 10 that is packaged therein visible to consumers. The topping container 9 has an open top and a peripheral lip 12 that extends around the open top. A peel-off film 14 is sealed to the peripheral lip 12 to extend over and cover the top of the container 9 and prevent the topping 10 from spilling out.

By way of example, where hummus is the food 3 packaged with the food bowl 1, the topping 10 that is packaged within the independent topping container 9 to be added to the hummus is typically a mixture of oil, pine nuts, spices, and the like. However, if yogurt were to be the food 3 that is packaged within the food bowl 1, the topping 10 to be packaged within the independent topping container 9 to be added to the yogurt will typically be granola and/or fruit. By way of still another example, the food 3 may be a salad and the topping 10 can be salad dressing. In any event, it is to be understood that the specific food 3 within the food container 1 and the topping 10 within the independent topping container 9 to be added to and mixed with the food 3 prior to their consumption are not to be considered as a limitation of this invention.

It is contemplated that the food 3 packaged within the food bowl 1 and the topping 10 packaged within the independent topping container 9 will be subjected to a conventional high pressure processing (HPP) treatment prior to their distribution to the public for consumption. It is desirable to prevent the premature mixing of the food 3 and the topping 10 as may occur during the HPP process if the food 3 and the topping 10 were packaged together in a single container with the topping 10 simply placed above the food 3. Any such premature mixing of the topping 10 with the food 3 prior to their consumption can negatively affect the commercial appeal as well as a consumer's perception and decision to buy the food 3 that is packaged within and visible through the clear food bowl 1.

To overcome this potential problem, a food package 30 is assembled when a lid 18 having a closed top is detachably connected to the top of the food bowl 1 with the independent topping container 9 carried therebetween. The lid 18 is ideally manufactured from a clear, visually transparent (e.g., plastic) material that is flexible. A generally cylindrical peripheral base 20 surrounds the bottom of the flexible lid 18 so that the lid encloses the topping container 9. A first set of radially inward projecting locking detents 22 are formed in and continuously around the peripheral base 20 of lid 18.

As is best shown in FIG. 1, when the lid 18 of the food package 30 is detachably connected to the top of the food bowl 1, the peripheral base 20 of lid 18 is moved into surrounding engagement with the peripheral lip 5 of the food bowl 1. The peripheral base 20 of the flexible lid 18 is initially stressed and bent outwards to be able to accommodate the peripheral lip 5 of the food bowl 1 therewithin. When the flexible lid 18 relaxes and returns to its pre-stressed shape, the locking detents 22 that are formed in and around the peripheral base 20 of lid 18 are snapped into receipt against and below the peripheral lip 5 of the food bowl 1 by which the lid 18 is held in place over the food bowl.

The closed top of the flexible lid 18 has a raised portion 24 located at the center thereof and extending upwardly from the peripheral base 20. The raised portion 24 of the lid 18 establishes a storage compartment within which to receive and carry the topping container 9 so as to facilitate the food package 30 having a compact and aesthetically pleasing configuration. More particularly, the topping container 9 that is carried by the food package 30 is turned upside down during the assembly of package 30 so that the peel-off film 14 that covers the top of container 9 lies flush and face-to-face against the peel-off film 7 that covers the top of the food bowl 1. When the lid 18 is moved into detachable connection with the top of the food bowl 1 to complete the assembly of the food package 30, the relatively narrow bottom of the tapered topping container 9 is removably received within the raised portion 24 formed in the closed top of the lid 18.

The topping container 9 has an outwardly extending ridge 25 running continuously therearound. When the topping container 9 is located within the raised portion 24 of lid 18, the ridge 25 of container 9 is received in and captured by a second set of locking detents 26 that are formed in and extend around the raised portion 24 of the lid 18, whereby the topping container 9 is held in place between the food bowl 1 and the lid 18.

The bottom of the food bowl 1 lying opposite the peel-off film 7 which extends across and covers the top of bowl 1 is provided with a stacking recess 28. The stacking recess 28 extends upwardly into the food bowl 1 towards the peel-off film 7. As is best shown in FIG. 5, the stacking recess 28 enables a vertical column of food packages 30-1 and 30-2 to be stacked one above the other to create a stable configuration that is ideal for either shipping a plurality of food packages 30 or displaying the packages on a shelf of a retail grocery store or the like to encourage their purchase. That is, the raised portion 24 that extends upwardly from the top of the lid 18 of a first food package 30-1 is removably received by and held in place within the stacking recess 28 that is formed in the bottom of the food bowl 1 of a second food package 30-2 that is to be stacked above the first food package.

By virtue of the food package 30 that is disclosed herein, the food (e.g., hummus) 3 and the topping 10 that are to be mixed and consumed together are initially separated from one another prior to their consumption by their being packaged within the food bowl 1 and the independent topping container 9 prior to, during and after the HPP high pressure process. When it is desirable to consume the food 3 with the topping added thereto following the purchase of the food package 30, the lid 18 is first detached from the food bowl 1 by means of applying an upward pulling force to lid 18. The topping container 9 is then pulled outwardly from the raised portion 24 of the lid 18 and turned over so that the peel-off film 14 of container 9 faces up. Next, the peel-off film 7 is peeled off the food container 1 to permit access to the food 3 therewithin, and the peel-off film 14 is peeled off the topping container 9 to permit access to the topping 10 therewithin. The topping 10 is now ready to be poured from its container 9 into the food bowl 1 and mixed with the food 3 so that the mixture can be consumed to the eating pleasure of the consumer.

It may be appreciated that when the food package 3 is fully assembled and ready for distribution (as is best shown in FIG. 1) so that the independent and visually transparent topping container 9 is held in place between the visually transparent food bowl 3 and the visually transparent lid 18, the topping 10 within its container will be suspended above the food 3 within the food container 1. Thus, despite the turbulence to which the food 3 and the topping 10 may be subjected during the HPP high pressure treatment, the consumer will see a visually appealing food package 30 with the topping 10 remaining intact and located above and separated from the food (e.g., hummus) 3, whereby to encourage a purchase of the food package and the contents carried therewithin.

Claims

1. A food package comprising: a first food container and a first food carried by said first food container; anda second food container and a second food carried by said second food container, wherein said second food is to be mixed with said first food so that the mixture of said first and second foods can be consumed,said second food container being held in place above said first food container so that said second food is suspended above and separated from said first food prior to the first and second foods being mixed together and consumed.

2. The food package recited in claim 1, wherein the first food carried by said first food container is hummus, and the second food carried by said second food container is a hummus topping including at least a spice.

3. The food package recited in claim 1, also comprising a lid detachably connected to said first food container so that said second food container is held in place by said lid between said first food container and said lid.

4. The food package recited in claim 3, wherein each of said first food container, said second food container, and said lid is manufactured from a visually transparent material so that said first and second foods are visible through said lid and said first and second food containers.

5. The food package recited in claim 3, wherein said lid is detachably connected to said first food container so as to lie over and enclose said second food container and hold said second food container in place above said first food container.

6. The food package recited in claim 5, wherein said lid has a peripheral base extending therearound and a set of locking detents formed in said peripheral base, and said first food container has a top and a peripheral lip extending around said top, said set of locking detents from the peripheral base of said lid being located below and engaged by the peripheral lip of said first food container when said lid is detachably connected to said first food container.

7. The food package recited in claim 5, wherein said lid has a closed top lying over said first food container and a raised portion extending upwardly from said closed top away from said first food container, said second food container being removably received within said raised portion when said lid is detachably connected to said first food container, whereby said second food container is held in place by said raised portion between said first food container and said lid.

8. The food package recited in claim 7, wherein said second food container has an outwardly extending ridge running therearound and the raised portion of said lid has a set of locking detents formed therein, the outwardly extending ridge of said second food container being engaged by the set of locking detents of the raised portion of said lid to hold said second food container in place within said raised portion so as to lie above said first food container.

9. The food package recited in claim 7, wherein said second food container is tapered and includes a relatively wide top and a relatively narrow bottom, the relatively narrow bottom of said second food container being removably received within the raised portion of said lid, and the relatively wide top of said second food container laying against said first food container when said lid is detachably connected to said first food container.

10. The food package recited in claim 7, wherein said first food container has a closed bottom and a stacking recess formed in and extending upwardly from said closed bottom towards the raised portion which extends upwardly from the top of said lid when said lid is detachably connected to said first food container, the stacking recess formed in the bottom of said first food container having a size and a shape that conform to the size and the shape of the raised portion of said lid.

11. A method for making a food package with food packaged therein and ready for consumption, said method comprising the steps of: locating a first food in a first closed and visually transparent food container;locating a second food in a second closed and visually transparent food container, where said second food container is independent from said first food container and said second food is separated from said first food;positioning said second food container above said first food container so that said second food is suspended above said first food;detachably connecting a visually transparent lid to said first food container so that said second food container is held in place by said lid between said first food container and said lid and said first and second foods are visible through each of said visually transparent first food container, said second food container and said lid;subjecting said first and second food containers to a high pressure processing (HPP) treatment to eliminate potentially harmful food-borne pathogens from said first and second foods after said lid has been detachably connected to said first food container;detaching the lid from said first food container and opening each of said first and second food containers after the HPP treatment of said first and second food containers has been completed; andmixing one of said first and second foods in one of said first and second food containers with the other one of said first and second foods in the other one of said first and second food containers and consuming the resulting mixture.