Methods of manufacturing shelf stable pods containing food or drink to be rapidly cooled, include inserting a mixing paddle into an aluminum can through an open end of a body of the can and sterilizing the can and mixing paddle at temperatures below a stress relief temperature of the can in a first aseptic chamber. The method also includes filling the can with a sterilized food or drink in the aseptic chamber, sealing a sterilized base of the can to the open end of the body of the can with a food-safe adhesive to create a hermetic seal, removing the can from the first aseptic chamber while maintaining the hermetic seal outside the first aseptic chamber, and mechanically seaming the base to the can.

A method of manufacturing shelf-stable gelato is provided. The method may include blending cream and sugar in a proportion. The blend may be frozen into units. The units may be freeze-dried in order to remove water content.

A method of transporting one or more frozen food compositions can include providing a first container; dispensing at least one comestible ingredient into the first container, the dispensing of the at least one comestible ingredient into the first container is performed at a first location; positioning a first lid on the first container containing the at least one comestible ingredient; freezing the first container with the first lid thereon and the at least one comestible ingredient therein to form a first frozen food composition in the first container; attaching a first jacket to at least one of (a) the first container with the first frozen food composition therein or (b) the first lid on the first container with the first frozen food composition therein; and transporting the first frozen food composition to a second location by transporting the first container in the first jacket to the second location.

A squeezable, flexible tubular package for an edible product is compartmented to simultaneously hold a first edible product in one compartment separate from a second edible product in another juxtaposed compartment. The package includes an elongated enclosure defined by a pair of transparent, flexible film strips bonded to one another around the periphery thereof by a liquid tight seal; and a membrane situated between the film strips, bonded to the periphery of the film strips by a liquid tight seal, partitioning the enclosure into a pair of juxtaposed, liquid tight compartments. An extrudable, edible product is separately contained in each of the compartments. Apparatus for continuously and successively forming, filling and sealing articulated arrays of such packaged products is also disclosed.

Systems and methods are provided herein for producing and vending ice in an energy-efficient manner. A system for producing and vending ice comprises: an ice-making device configured to manufacture ice; a reservoir coupled to the ice-making device and configured to store the manufactured ice manufactured; and a control circuit communicatively coupled to the ice-making device, the control circuit configured to: determine a beginning ice inventory at a first time; determine a predicted ice demand for a first period, wherein the predicted ice demand is a function of at least a historical factor, a weather factor, a customer social event factor, and a public social event factor; determine an ice manufacturing quantity based on the beginning ice inventory, the predicted ice demand, and a manufacturing capacity of the ice-making device; and cause the ice-making device to produce an amount of ice consistent with the determined ice manufacturing quantity.

A squeezable, flexible tubular package for an edible product is compartmented to simultaneously hold a first edible product in one compartment separate from a second edible product in another juxtaposed compartment. The package includes an elongated enclosure defined by a pair of transparent, flexible film strips bonded to one another around the periphery thereof by a liquid tight seal; and a membrane situated between the film strips, bonded to the periphery of the film strips by a liquid tight seal, partitioning the enclosure into a pair of juxtaposed, liquid tight compartments. An extrudable, edible product is separately contained in each of the compartments. Apparatus for continuously and successively forming, filling and sealing articulated arrays of such packaged products is also disclosed.

A method for packaging an edible product, includes forming a package with a pouch portion and a pocket portion which communicate through a passage. A handle is inserted through the passage which is then tightly sealed around the handle to avoid any leak between the pouch portion and the pocket portion. The pouch portion is then filled with an edible to make a packaged edible product with a handle.

Frozen desserts contained in a microwave active packaging are disclosed. In some embodiments, the microwave active packaging includes a microwave active layer configured to selectively heat the contents of the microwave active packaging. The contents may include a first layer of frozen food, and one or more additional topping layers. When placed into a microwave, the microwave active layer causes the one or more additional topping layers to heat, while the first layer is maintained at or below a freezing temperature. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Described is an apparatus for filling food containers, including: a filling device for filling a food container including a neck through which the food product can be filled and a cap to cover the neck, wherein the filling device is configured to remove the cap and to fill the food container through the neck, a food container label printing device configured to print at least one label for the at least one food container; a user interface, configured at least to start the filling device; and a support for supporting at least the food container.

A method for automatically boxing ice cream type products which allows, by means of an apparatus with simple mechanical configuration, a sequence of boxing steps to be performed, keeping constant the number of products boxed from one boxing sequence to another, in consideration of possible variations, from one boxing sequence to another, in the spatial distribution of the absences of product on the transport system, operating between the apparatus for production of the products and the boxing unit, the latter being configured, for each boxing sequence, for picking up the products and transferring them in at least one box. An apparatus configured to automatically perform the method.