Method and apparatus for packaging a liquid food product

A device for delivering a predetermined volume of beverage into a thermoplastic container formed from a heated preform, the preform being positioned in a mold, the device comprising:

• an injector for injecting at least some beverage into a recess in the preform so as to promote expansion of the preform inside the mold, the mold defining the shape of the container,
• a displacement member for longitudinally displacing a stretch rod over a given period and for longitudinally elongating the heated preform, the stretch rod being immobile at the end of the given period,
• a member for ensuring that a volume of beverage greater than a predefined fraction of the predetermined volume is present in the recess at the end of the given period, and
• a programmable computer that is configured to control the displacement member and the injector such that the stretch rod is longitudinally displaced over a given period and immobile at the end of the given period, and a volume of beverage greater than a predefined fraction of the predetermined volume is present in the recess at the end of the given period.