The first proven shallow hermetically-sealed board tray in the UK food market.
In the current environmental climate it became clear that there were opportunities to replace various food packs with materials that were more sustainable. It was, however, very challenging to use carton board to make food air-tight without using plastic. We set about trying to find a solution within our manufacturing capabilities.
There were solutions in the market place, however, the plastic content was high. We trialled different pack formats and materials to create a hermetic seal which is key to combating food waste. Finally, we discovered a pack in Europe that had been designed specifically for this reason and we went on to gain the licence for the UK.
The project was not without its challenges as the shallow version of the board tray is considered to be the first in the world. The forming and skinning had to be such that the consumer could easily peel away the two film layers to then throw into separate waste streams, thus reducing plastic by approximately 70%. The pack format is now being sold in the chilled sections of four retailers and the volumes are increasing as more lines transition to the new format.
