Page 24 - Packaging News magazine May-June 2022

24
FOOD PACKAGING | www.packagingnews.com.au | May-June 2022
Aussie-first bamboo-
based MAP meat tray
Sustainable food packaging manufacturer Caspak has partnered with Hagen’s Organics butcher to supply its online customers with meat packaged in its new FSC certified bamboo tray.
Best Berries picks KM’s lidding film
New Zealand grower and supplier Best Berries has opted for re-close lidding film from KM Packaging.
BEST Berries’ customers were inter- ested in re-close lidding options, so the company chose to implement K-Reseal, which is KM’s lidding film range that can be repeatedly opened and resealed to the tray.
Best Berries required a fully printed re-close lidding film with macro ven- tilation holes for its APET 250g and 454g punnet of strawberries.
The punnets also needed to have a tamper-evident seal from the point of packing, through to the consumer first opening the pack.
“One of the challenges of this proj- ect was that Best Berries’ tray sealing machinery settings had no waste film allowance between each lid, on a four-across tooling layout,” said Boman Zakari, owner of Best Berries..
“We were concerned about the tight tolerance on our sealing machine tool, but the team from KM Packaging advised on the settings and we had no issues.”
The lidding film is a mono laminate PET, which matches the tray, ensur- ing that the whole pack is designed for recyclability.
The K-Reseal range is compatible with most tray sealing machines and is suitable for chilled and ambi- ent storage. It seals to rPET, APET and CPET trays, and options include mono-material, anti-fog and high barrier.
The range can incorporate print designs for improved pack presen- tation and shelf appeal, and can
also include macro holes, hot needle or laser perforation for advanced packag- ing solutions, such as when the products need
to respire. ■
Sealed deal:
K-Reseal for Best Berries’ punnets.
THE new Caspak fibre modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) tray, which Caspak says is an Australian first, is made from FSC certified bam- boo, layered with a thin plastic film that can be
peeled away from the
fibre tray so that the
two materials are eas-
ily separated, and the
film can be recycled
through the REDcycle soft
plastics system.
According to Caspak, Hagen’s switch to the fibre MAP Trays
has resulted in an 80 per cent total reduction in plastic, from 20g to just 4g per meat tray.
“The bamboo nature of the Caspak trays ticks all sustainability boxes, and the peelable plastic layer works to ensure that our meat is delivered to our customers in the best possi- ble condition. Our farmers put a lot of work into growing organic meat and this is the ultimate solution to extend those efforts right through to the customer,” says Hagen’s Taylor Matthews.
Caspak says that in general, its fibre MAP trays are designed to work with most existing product lines, as there are no tooling changes required between plastic and bam- boo trays. The high barrier sealant film makes it suitable for an array of meat, seafood and ready-meal applications.
According to the company, paper and fibre have one of the highest rates of recovery and recycling, much higher than plastic, making the fibre tray an easy and visible option for sustainable packaging.
“Using fibre rather than plastic means the end-of-life benefits are significant. Consumers can place the trays in their kerbside paper recy- cling bin, after removing the lidding
According to Caspak, Hagen’s switch to fibre MAP trays has seen an 80 per cent total reduction in plastic, from 20g to just 4g per meat tray.
film, which will increase the raw material recovery rate to 70 per cent. Consumers can also remove the lam- inate and discard in the bin to make the trays home compostable, backed by an International Composting Certificate. Adding the L2025 (recy- clable barrier shrink lidding film) will create a fully recyclable option,” says Caspak.
Caspak is part of the APCO work- ing group, a member of the Clean Energy Council, and a signatory of the REDcycle initiative.
The Caspak fibre MAP trays are the first of a slew of sustainable products that Caspak says it will be releas- ing in the lead up to APCO’s 2025 National Packaging Targets to ensure a more sustainable future for all.
The company has a research lab on- site, and recently developed a string of eco-friendly packaging solutions that it says it will be rolling out in the market with key packaging partners across meat, smallgoods and ready meals over the coming months. ■