Direct answer
Approve a flat-bottom pouch against the intended filled product and route, not its empty-bag appearance alone. Identify the bag revision and fill weight, inspect the base and seal transitions after filling, then compare conditioned, packed samples under an agreed distribution plan. A passing result applies only to the recorded construction, product, conditions, and acceptance criteria.
Start with one identified bag and one representative fill
A flat-bottom pouch can look square when empty yet behave differently after filling. Record the five-panel dieline revision, film structure, dimensions, zipper or valve, and the bag-making lot. Then record the actual product, target net weight, bulk density or settling behavior, headspace, filling route, and final-seal method. An unfilled sample is useful for artwork and construction review, but it cannot establish filled-package performance.
Before a comparative trial, keep the candidate and approved reference on the same decision sheet. If material, dimensions, fill weight, and case pack all change together, the result cannot isolate which change mattered. For a pet-food application at 5 kg or above, P&M's governed planning rule calls for a load-bearing review and a defined drop-test requirement; it is not a universal capacity claim for every flat-bottom construction.
Inspect the base, seal transitions, and top closure separately
Do not record every leak as a “bottom-seal failure.” Mark the first observed failure location: base panel, base-to-side transition, side seal, top seal, zipper weld, or valve area. Photograph the filled bag before and after the trial with its lot and orientation visible. This makes a corrective request more useful than an overall pass/fail note.
Ask the responsible technical team to choose seal-strength, leak, compression, or drop checks appropriate to the exact construction. P&M's internal starting criteria are project-planning inputs, not automatic release limits: the final material, conditioning, test method, sample plan, and customer-approved specification determine acceptance. A strong isolated seal strip does not by itself prove a filled bag will survive a stack or a parcel route.
Build a route-specific trial instead of adopting a universal drop height
Define whether the filled pouch will move as an individual parcel, inside a master case, or in a unitized load. Record case count, pouch orientation, pallet pattern, handling, temperature exposure, and any known compression or vibration risk. ISTA's public test-procedure guide distinguishes screening tests from simulations of defined distribution environments; the appropriate procedure depends on the shipment, not merely the bag style.
Agree the sample-conditioning history and inspection points before testing. The trial record should state fill weight, temperature, drop orientation and count when drops are in scope, followed by inspection of the base, side seals, closure, and any leakage or product loss. A room-temperature result is not evidence for a frozen route; a sample warmed before dropping does not represent a drop made in the specified frozen condition.
Use one approval sheet for evidence and open decisions
The following buyer worksheet is a planning aid, not a laboratory method or a promise that P&M performed the listed tests. Assign the test owner and acceptance criteria in the project specification.
- Identity: bag revision and lot; product and net fill; closure and final-seal method.
- Failure map: base, base-to-side transition, side, top, zipper or valve; before/after images.
- Shipment: pouch orientation, case count, pallet or parcel route, and recorded conditioning.
- Evidence: selected checks, specimen count, observed failures, test owner, and unresolved limitations.
- Decision: accepted use, rejected use, or a narrower follow-up trial tied to the same revision.
Keep the article owner separate from the commercial owner
This guide addresses the narrower buyer task of approving a filled flat-bottom bag after a load or distribution trial. The flat-bottom pouch product page remains the commercial owner for bag formats, printing routes, and quotations. For a wider conditioning and specimen-history plan, use the filled-pouch distribution guide. For a pet-food increase in fill weight, use the heavier-fill trial brief.
To request a review, send P&M the product, intended fill weight, format or reference bag, dimensions, closure, material or barrier target, quantities by SKU, filling method, case pack, route to market, and any observed failure. Ask which proposed construction and validation scope can be quoted for that exact project; do not infer a universal seal-strength, drop-height, or shelf-life guarantee from a guide.
General educational information only. Materials, performance, compliance, claims, quantities, and timing require confirmation for the exact packaging project.