Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Ingredients

CANNABIS PRODUCTS - MARCH 2019

Selecting the right child-resistant packaging for legal cannabis edibles

Cannabis edibles makers are searching for new closures and styles for child-resistant packaging.

By Rose Shilling
cannabis packaging

Kush plans to launch a variety of new patented child-resistant packaging styles with a goal of hiding child-resistant features.

Courtesy of Kush Supply Co.

cannabis packaging

Zip-Pak introduced a child-resistant closure with a red clip that has to be squeezed for the interlocking pieces to open when you slide the clip.

Courtesy of Zip-Pak

cannabis packaging

Courtesy of Chill Chocolate

cannabis packaging
cannabis packaging
cannabis packaging
March 22, 2019

Packaging suppliers are rushing to provide new child-resistant bottles, tins, jars and bags for legal cannabis edibles to offer variety that producers find lacking.

Because child-resistant packaging requirements vary in states where cannabis is legal, many companies infusing food and drinks choose containers with the best protection—required or not—so they can sell the same packages everywhere. But they still want to offer attractive, affordable packaging to help meet their sales and cost targets.


A Safe Approach

Dixie Brands, Denver, worked with TricorBraun to engineer a proprietary bottle with a push-and-turn dosing cap for its flagship elixir products made since 2009. But it has had a hard time finding other unique or progressive child-resistant packaging that competitors haven’t seen and will help products stand out behind dispensary counters, says Dave Grigsby, national brand director. “There’s a tremendous opportunity for packaging suppliers to really capitalize on this exploding market.”

Building a national brand is difficult without federal regulations on labeling and protections to prevent children from accidentally consuming gummies, chocolates and beverages with cannabis. To avoid major packaging changes to fit state-by-state regulations, packaging companies often advise customers to upgrade to using all child-resistant containers.

“We’re pushing our clients, even if child-resistant isn’t necessary just yet, to keep the brand identity. Go child-resistant, and you’re going to be in a good place,” says Jason Vegotsky, president, Kush Supply Co., Garden Grove, CA. “You’re going to be overly compliant, and when the rules change, you’re going to be in a good spot. We ultimately feel that every state will be moving to child-resistant if they’re not already there.”

After states legalize cannabis, some start out requiring dispensaries to put products in child-resistant exit bags, but Kush has observed that as states mature through their regulation processes, they ultimately end up requiring child-resistant packaging for each product. As a result, child-resistant exit bags are not selling as heavily as they were two to three years ago.


The Next Generation

Kush plans to launch a variety of new patented child-resistant packaging styles, including a bottle for beverages, with a goal of hiding child-resistant features. “We’re continuing to spend money on innovating so that you can have child-resistant, but you can also look really cool doing it,” Vegotsky says. Done well, child-resistant features will not make a product look clunky or less attractive, he suggests. “Our job is to make a child-resistant package as closely similar—as possible—to just an everyday package.”

Parent company KushCo Holdings hired Silicon Valley industrial designer Steve Hwang as a president of its Koleto innovations division. After traveling to producers for several months to hear about their needs, Hwang is heading up the new child-resistant designs as the company tries to move all of its intellectual property in-house.

“Two to three years ago, we could have never pulled somebody like that,” says Vegotsky. “We’re starting to get innovative talent that is looking at this space.”

Zip-Pak, Carol Stream, IL, focuses on resealable zipper technology. The company notes that preliminary signs of interest from the cannabis industry in its new Safety-Lok child-resistant line for flexible plastic bags has come through its converting customers. Cannabis fits into the niche markets that converters serve, including companies with smaller production quantities that likely use premade bags, notes Barry Dauber, vice president and general manager.

The company introduced a child-resistant closure last year with a red clip that has to be squeezed for the interlocking pieces to open when you slide the clip. And it just announced a child-resistant press-to-close zipper, which has several locking tabs that must be pulled apart before the bag can be opened. The largest market for Safety-Lok has been for laundry and dish detergent pods, and the press-to-close version offers a more affordable option that is easier to integrate into varied bag designs and production, Dauber says.

The closures have been through successful child-resistant certification as part of a testing on whole packages using the zippers. “We know there’s a public health service to this product, and we are taking extra-special care in our factories and our testing methods to ensure that the products are working every time in every package the way they’re intended,” Dauber says.

At CRATIV Packaging, Denver, which sells child-resistant polypropylene clamshell boxes, Bill Ludlow, P.E., president, CEO and co-founder, first starting investigating cannabis packaging in Colorado in 2014. The only child-resistant packaging he saw then were pop-top tubes and round twist-and-turn medicine bottles. “What you saw was companies essentially stuffing chocolate chip cookies and various types of products into these bottles, and it just didn’t fit.”

Ludlow bought $500 worth of edibles so he could record their dimensions. “I measured every piece with calipers—XYZ dimensions—and counted the number of pieces and put that into a spreadsheet and that became our design input.” He and his business partner used the data to come up with a design that fit most of the items. Customers squeeze the sides of the CRATIV container and push in a tab on the front at the same time to open it. An airtight version is coming.

Mom and pop operations that have been making cannabis edibles out of small kitchens for years likely will not be able to afford child-resistant packaging to operate in a regulated environment, suggests Ludlow. And even some larger companies resist child-resistant packaging because of the extra cost. But many businesses will decide opting for 100 percent child-resistant packaging is the right thing to do and will recognize that any eventual federal legislation likely will require it.

“It’s the companies that step up and go the extra mile,” says Ludlow, “even if it’s not required, that are going to become more viable and eventually win in the long run.”

This article was originally posted on www.foodengineeringmag.com.
KEYWORDS: child-resistant packaging food packaging technology packaging design

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Rose shilling author

Rose Shilling helps ensure Food Engineering Magazine is ready to print each month as managing editor. She writes feature stories on a variety of topics and tracks the food packaging industry. A journalist with an editing background at news services and newspapers, she also has driven editorial projects in health care and higher education.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Food Type
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Training
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Risk Assessment
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

FoodSafetyMattersFinal-900x550-(002).jpg

Ep. 195. Dr. Christopher Daubert: The Value of a Food Science Education

Students returning their lunch trays in a cafeteria

California Bill Would Remove Ultra-Processed Foods from School Lunches

Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.

Staying Compliant With FSMA

Events

June 26, 2025

How to Design and Conduct Challenge Studies for Safer Products and Longer Shelf Life

Live: June 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn how to conduct challenge studies for microbial spoilage and pathogen growth, including the common challenges encountered, laboratory selection, and use of predictive models.

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • cannabis packaging

    How to select the right packaging for your cannabis product

    See More
  • bottling

    Finding the right equipment for manufacturing legal cannabis beverages

    See More
  • Broccoli in Xtend Iceless packaging

    Modified atmosphere packaging for long-haul transport of veggies sans ice

    See More

Related Directories

  • Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ)

    CSQ is a safety-driven company setting reliable cannabis industry standards to help companies minimize risk, protect their brand, and provide the best product for their consumers. CSQ is the first accredited cannabis certification program, and it was built in 2020 to meet ISO requirements and regulatory cannabis requirements from seed-to-sale.
  • MULTIVAC Inc.

    Established in 1987, MULTIVAC has more than 4,250 active US-based packaging machines and a growth of 300+ new machines sold annually. As a single-source supply network for packaging equipment, our customers rely on the vast expertise of our global manufacturing and the local support from our Kansas City headquarters.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing