Packaging

1 . A packaged food product comprising:

a plurality of food items in packaging having a cavity for containing the plurality of food items;

wherein the packaging comprises a sheet of packaging material that continuously wraps around and defines the cavity and which is sealed at a first end of the cavity by a first end seal, at a second opposed end of the cavity by a second end seal, and along the cavity by a longitudinal fin seal, the longitudinal fin seal extending from the first end seal to the second end seal;

wherein the first end seal and the second end seal are each permanent seals free from pressure sensitive adhesive;

wherein the longitudinal fin seal is an openable and recloseable seal joining an inside face of a first side edge of the sheet to an inside face of a second side edge of the sheet;

wherein the longitudinal fin seal is cold-sealed with a pressure sensitive adhesive printed on both inside faces;

wherein the packaging comprises a plurality of opening tab elements along the longitudinal fin seal, the plurality of opening tab elements being arranged to be gripped by a user to aid opening of the longitudinal fin seal; and

wherein the plurality of food items are stacked in the packaging.

2 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet of packaging material is a monolayer or multilayer plastic film.

3 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein the first end seal and the second end seal and the longitudinal fin seal are the only seals that close the cavity.

4 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein the first end seal and the second end seal are free from adhesive.

5 . The packaged food product according to claim 4 , wherein the first end seal and the second end seal are each permanent welded seals.

6 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal fin seal comprises:

a first sealing zone positioned at or adjacent the first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet of packaging material; and

a second sealing zone positioned adjacent the cavity,

wherein the first sealing zone is spaced apart from the second sealing zone.

7 . The packaging food product of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal fin seal comprises:

a sealing zone extending along the packaging from the first end seal to the second end seal adjacent first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet of packaging material;

wherein the sealing zone is shaped to define the plurality of opening tab elements;

wherein the sealing zone has a an outer edge profile having a different shape to that of the first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet, thereby providing a first opening tab element on the first side edge of the sheet and a corresponding second opening tab element on the second side edge of the sheet; and

wherein the first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet have matching and aligned edge profiles.

8 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal fin seal comprises a sealing zone extending along the packaging from the first end seal to the second end seal and spaced apart from a side edge of the sheet of packaging material to provide a first opening tab element.

9 . The packaged food product according to claim 8 , wherein:

the side edge is the first side edge; and

the sealing zone is spaced apart from the first side edge and spaced apart from the second side edge of the sheet of packaging material to provide the first opening tab element and a second opening tab element, respectively.

10 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein:

the longitudinal fin seal comprises a sealing zone extending along the packaging from the first end seal to the second end seal adjacent the first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet of packaging material;

the first side edge and the second side edge are straight-cut; and

the sealing zone has an outer edge profile having a different shape to that of the first side edge and the second side edge of the sheet, thereby providing a first opening tab element on the first side edge of the sheet and a corresponding second opening tab element on the second side edge of the sheet.

11 . The packaged food product of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of food items are baked confectionery items.

12 . The packaged food product of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of food items are at least one of biscuits and cookies.

13 . The packaged food product according to claim 1 , wherein:

a first food item is positioned at the first end of the packaging;

a second food item is positioned at the second end of the packaging; and

a plurality of additional food items are positioned in a row extending from the first food item to the second food item.

14 . A method of packaging food items, the method comprising the steps of:

placing food items to be wrapped on a sheet of packaging material;

folding the packaging material so that a surface of the sheet forms an inner surface and an opposed surface of the sheet forms an outer surface of the packaging;

permanently sealing a first end of the sheet to itself to form a first end seal free from pressure sensitive adhesive;

permanently sealing a second end of the sheet to itself to form a second end seal free from pressure sensitive adhesive; and

forming a longitudinal fin seal along the packaging from the first end to the second end thereby joining a first side edge of the sheet to a second side edge of the sheet and defining a cavity containing the food items;

wherein the longitudinal fin seal is an openable and recloseable seal joining an inside face of the first side edge of the sheet to an inside face of the second side edge of the sheet;

wherein the longitudinal fin seal is cold sealed with a pressure sensitive adhesive printed on both inside faces;

wherein the longitudinal fin seal comprises a sealing zone extending along the packaging from the first end seal to the second end seal;

wherein the packaging comprises a plurality of opening tab elements along the longitudinal fin seal, the plurality of opening tab elements being arranged to be gripped by a user to aid opening of the longitudinal fin seal; and

wherein the food items are stacked in the packaging.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the method provides a packaged food product according to claim 1 .

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the method of packaging food items comprises flow-wrap pack packaging the food items.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first end seal and the second end seal are heat-sealed.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:

portions of the sheet joined together to form each of the first end seal and the second end seal are pressed together between heated jaws or rollers; and

portions of the sheet joined together to form the longitudinal fin seal are pressed together between unheated jaws or rollers.

19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:

the step of permanently sealing the first end of the sheet to itself to form the first end seal comprises welding the first end of the sheet to itself, and

the step of permanently sealing the second end of the sheet to itself to form the second end seal comprises welding the second end of the sheet to itself.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the welding is thermal welding or ultrasonic welding.