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Fresh ideas for soft fruit packaging

Worldwide environmental concerns are impacting on every part of the food industry and the soft fruit sector is no exception.

With initiatives to reduce packaging waste and packaging weight to the fore, producers are under pressure to adopt alternative packaging methods to meet the needs of retailers. They are also under pressure to maximise profits as they cope with increased costs.

Until recently, the traditional format for packaging fresh produce was a plastic punnet with a clip-on lid. Recently, however, there has been a move towards using recycled materials to increase sustainability. Pressure from the retail sector to take a fresh look at packaging is on.

With the move to reduce packaging weight high on the list of changes the sector is looking for, British packaging machinery manufacturer Packaging Automation (PA) is on hand to deliver solutions to the market. Packaging Automation equipment is distributed by MPI in Australia.

According to PA’s sales manager, Neil Ashton, “we are starting to see changes in this sector with a move towards new pack formats and a wider range of materials in use. A reduction in overall pack weight is a key driver behind this development. Changing from a clip-on lid to a top web-sealed tray, with low-gauge film, is one way this is being achieved.

“Tray manufacturers are also looking to down-gauge the tray and reduce flange widths to decrease pack weight even further. All these changes bring challenges for machinery manufacturers who must be able to design reliable and easy to use equipment, which gives a perfect seal every time. At PA we are designers first and foremost and our machines have a cleverly designed top tool to meet this need,” he said.

“At the same time, producers need to be able to find quick and reliable solutions and support when they do decide to change. Different retailers may have different requirements in terms of tray material, tray format, lidding substaight, registered or plain film requirements, and so on. Our machines must therefore be able to deal with all these variables.”

Ashton added that “this is a sector when our hire deals are particularly beneficial. Because of the seasonality of production, a grower does not want a machine standing idle in the pack house out of season. We can supply the right equipment on attractive short term hire deals to cope with increased production at specific times of year, around harvest.

“Next season, producers can benefit from hiring our latest machine – the eco-cut – which offers reduced film waste, increased production speed with less downtime, as well as the capacity to work with lower gauge film, helping in reducing pack weight.”

According to the company, customer trials have shown that the machine can seal 8200 trays from one reel of film, compared with 4440 trays on a conventional tray sealer, running on the same line. This, combined with the ability to use lower gauge film down to 15 microns, helps to achieve significant cost reductions.

Many companies have already benefitted from the PA approach. The Dorset Blueberry company, which has selected PA equipment on hire each year since 2004, changed this year from a PVC punnet to a more environmentally friendly rPET tray.

“Packaging in the soft fruit sector is changing, and producers need to be ready to adapt quickly. Reduced pack weights, recycled materials and tamper evident packs are all becoming essential in helping producers respond to what the retailers want. With PA they know they have a packaging partner who can respond quickly with the equipment and support they need,” concluded Ashton.

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