Landec Corporation (Nasdaq: LNDC), a developer and marketer of technology-based polymer products for food, agricultural and licensed partner applications, today announced its food technology subsidiary, Apio, Inc., has been recognized with both gold and silver awards by the Flexible Packaging Association for its Intellipac iceless case liner used to package and ship Apio's whole produce products. The Flexible Packaging Association has named the Intellipac iceless case liner a Gold Award winner for Packaging Excellence and a Silver Award winner in Environmental Achievement.

The Intellipac iceless case liner received a Gold Award for Packaging Excellence because it improves upon the traditional industry packaging methods for some vegetables, such as broccoli, by eliminating the use of and need for ice in the shipping cartons. Using the traditional methods, some vegetables are packed into waxed corrugated cartons and are covered in ice to cool the vegetables while being transported to market.

Landec's proprietary Intellipac specialty packaging is a sealed case liner bag inside the shipping carton. This case liner extends shelf life and maintains crispness for high respiring vegetables without ice. The patented packaging technology has a very high rate of gas exchange, which can be customized to form the appropriate atmosphere for the specific produce within the bag, and to compensate for temperature abuse.

The Intellipac iceless case liner received a Silver Award in Environmental Achievement because the waxless cartons used with the case liners are recyclable, whereas the traditional methods use more costly, non-recyclable, waxed shipping cartons.

Formed in 1950, the Flexible Packaging Association has held an annual packaging awards program since inception. The Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards honor packaging and converting excellence across a broad range of the flexible packaging industry. The awards program includes four categories -- Packaging Excellence, Technical Innovation, Environmental Achievement, and Printing Achievement. The Gold Award is the highest achievement that can be earned for a company's
packaging technology.

Since 1996, Landec and Apio have commercially marketed products that use Landec's Intellipac specialty packaging for Apio's Eat Smart(TM) fresh-cut produce line of products. In November 2000, Apio commercialized its first whole product using its Intellipac case liners, iceless broccoli crowns for U.S. markets. Since that time, five new iceless case liner products for whole produce have been introduced.

A unique feature of the Intellipac technology is its ability to compensate for temperature abuse. As a result of the membrane's temperature responsiveness, the optimal atmosphere inside the case liner is maintained as temperatures change during the distribution process. This feature is one of the key reasons the Company's Intellipac flexible packaging can ship vegetables, traditionally packed in ice, to distant markets without ice.

In addition to extending shelf life and maintaining crispness, Intellipac specialty packaging also reduces dehydration, discoloration and unpleasant odors associated with high respiring produce by creating an ideal modified atmosphere inside the package.

The Company's specialty packaging also reduces freight expense by eliminating the weight and space consumed by ice. In the U.S. markets, Apio's iceless broccoli is shipped with 72 cartons per pallet, 30% - 50% more cartons per pallet compared to the 48-56 cartons per pallet of broccoli shipped with ice.

In addition to reducing the cost of freight, the removal of ice from the distribution system offers additional benefits. The Company's new packaging system eliminates the risk of ice as a carrier of microorganisms that can potentially contaminate produce and removes the need for expensive waxed cartons that cannot be recycled.