Well-being from a can

Ratingen, April 21, 2005. A packaging innovation being presented by Ball Packaging Europe at interpack 2005 is paving the way for the development of a new generation of beverages in the health, wellness and sport drinks segments.  Sensitive substances such as vitamins, pro-biotic additives or trace elements can now, for the first time, be stored in a can in a dry state and not mixed with the beverage until the can is opened. 

Many nutritious substances cannot be preserved in an aqueous solution.  Vitamins, for example, degrade in water within a very short period and are then no longer effective.  In the Fresh Can, the sensitive substances are stored in a plastic container, the so-called “wedge”.  When the consumer opens the can the pressure decreases causing the wedge end to spring open.  This means that the sensitive substances are not dissolved in the beverage until it is consumed.  Nutritional additives which the consumer could previously only take in powder or tablet form, can now also be sold as a drink.  It is far more convenient for the consumer in this pharmaceutical form, in particular in the sport and fitness sectors. 

The plastic capsule floats freely in the can, i.e. it is not fixed to the base, but nevertheless it has a reliable opening mechanism.  This solution provides significant logistic benefits for the container filling process because the wedge and the can are delivered separately to the beverage producer. 

You can visit Ball Packaging Europe at the interpack  2005, Düsseldorf, Hall 10, Stand 44.

Printable photographic material relating to this press release can be found in our Image Database. (www.ball-europe.com, section “Press”. Please input picture number 040183, 080241 and 080245  in the full text search.)

Forward-Looking Statements
The information in this news release contains "forward-looking" statements. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied. As time passes, the relevance and accuracy of forward-looking statements contained in this release may change. The company currently does not intend to update any particular forward-looking statement except as it deems necessary at quarterly or annual release of earnings. Please refer to the Form 10-Q filed by Ball Corporation on November 10, 2003, for a summary of key risk factors that could affect actual results or outcomes. Factors that might affect the packaging segments of the company are: fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; competitive packaging material availability, pricing and substitution; the weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; company and industry productive capacity and competitive activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost reductions; regulatory action or laws, including the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws and environmental and workplace safety regulations; availability and cost of raw materials, energy and transportation; the ability or inability to pass on to customers changes in these costs, particularly resin, steel and aluminium; pricing and ability or inability to sell scrap; international business risks (including foreign exchange rates and tax rates) particularly in the United States, Europe and in developing countries such as China and Brazil; and the effect of LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that may affect the aerospace segment are: funding, authorisation and availability of government contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty associated with aerospace segment contracts. Factors that could affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures and the integration activities associated therewith including the integration and operation of the business of Schmalbach-Lubeca AG, now known as Ball Packaging Europe; the inability to purchase the company's common stock; insufficient or reduced cash flow; regulatory action or laws including those related to corporate governance and financial reporting, regulations and standards; actual and estimated business consolidation and investment costs and the net realisable value of assets associated with these activities; goodwill impairment; changes in generally accepted accounting principles or their interpretation; litigation; antitrust, intellectual property, consumer and other issues; strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and labour costs, specifically pension, medical and health care costs incurred in the countries in which Ball has operations; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; interest rates and level of company debt, including floating rate debt; terrorist activities, war or catastrophic events that disrupt or impact production, supply or pricing of the company's goods and services, including raw materials and energy costs, or disrupt or impact the credit and financing of the company's businesses; and U.S. and foreign economic conditions.

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