The programme, which will be held at the company's Pacforum customer systems centre in Paris, France, will focus on subjects such as product formulation, product layout and packaging design, the company said.

"The aim of this initiative is to provide customers with the know-how in food processing and packaging engineering which is essential for the successful development of high quality convenience foods," the company said in a statement.

Unlike some other training programmes, the Microwave Heating programme will focus specifically on particularities unique to microwave food, such as how to develop products that will be reheated in the microwave, the company stated.

Cryovac claims that the Packforum centre features "state of the art" equipment such as a multimedia system that provides in-oven infrared imaging of the heating patterns inside a microwave. These can then be downloaded onto a DVD for later study.

The company also claims the scheme has already been used by one unnamed "well-known European foodservice company". According to Cryovac, the feedback was "extremely positive".

However, the company refused to respond to requests for more information from FoodProductionDaily.com.

Cryovac is a subsidiary of Sealed Air Corporation, a global manufacturer of packaging materials and systems. The company's food packaging segment is its largest, accounting for about 40 per cent of sales.

For the full year 2007, the group reported an 8 per cent increase in food packaging sales to $1.88 billion.

"Sales growth in our food business segments accelerated during the year due to the strength of our broad range of packaging solutions," William Hickey, chief executive, said earlier this year

However, operating profit for the group fell as higher raw material and marketing costs eroded earnings. Resin costs were particularly high, costing the firm over $20m in the first quarter alone, Hickey said.