How to use less plastic material on packaging with GEA FoodTray

Looking to use less plastic in your food packaging? GEA introduces a webinar on this topic, taking place on December 1^st at 10:00 CET.

Providing the ever-growing global population with fresh food only works with safe packaging. The problem also is that the continuously growing plastic material consumption must be stopped. Therefore, the German Packaging Act increased the recycling targets for - among other things - plastic to 63% until the year 2022. This will have wide-reaching consequences for the packaging industry. Fortunately, GEA FoodTray is here!

This solution, which is compatible with GEA thermoforming technology PowerPak and PowerPak PLUS, is a packing solution manufactured out of the recyclable resources paperboard and plastic film. Launched in 2019, FoodTray is specifically designed to meet today’s packaging challenges, which includes reducing the amount of plastic used by up to 80% – a tough challenge given fresh foods have a relatively short shelf life.

The tray itself is constructed from cardboard which is made from renewable resources and lends the required structure and support for the food product inside. Barrier protection is provided by a thin sheet of film lining the bottom and the sides of the tray interior and the thin flex film used to seal the package; as part of the spot sealing process the lidding forms a seal between itself and the upper area of the interior tray film, both of which can be made from monolayer and recyclable plastic. The result: a more sustainable package with good product visibility, providing maximum food freshness and food safety.

Once emptied, it is easy to separate both films from the cardboard tray and then recycle both materials. “The removal of the interior film is possible because it is only sealed to the edges of the paper tray versus adhering to the entire length and width of the bottom of the tray. The ease with which the bottom film can be removed from the tray sets FoodTray apart from most other solutions available today,” explains Volker Sassmannshausen, Product Manager Thermoforming, GEA.

FoodTray is specially designed for use with the GEA Thermoforming Packaging Machines, as PowerPak or PowerPak PLUS, and offers the following key benefits:

• available in various sizes and printable on all surfaces
• the cardboard can be made from 100% renewable resources, reducing plastic up to 80% in weight compared to conventional fresh food packaging
• the lidding film provides a high-quality barrier following a custom MAP-packaging (Modified Atmosphere Package) operation
• both paper and film (mono-material, PP-based), can enter their respective recycling streams
• attractive to consumers in both look and feel
• meets increased recycling quotas for plastic packaging

“FoodTray represents a major step forward, enabling manufacturers to use much less plastic while still ensuring food safety. The risk of losing more food to waste, which increases CO₂ emissions, is too great, which is another reason why this solution is so important,” says Volker Sassmannshausen, Senior Product Manager Thermoforming, GEA

In this webinar we will:

• Analyze the market needs and the latest European regulations
• Learn more about the flexibility of the GEA Thermoforming Packaging Machines and how to produce with them GEA FoodTray
• Discover how you can save up to 80% of the plastic material on packaging

Join our webinar How to use less plastic material on packaging with GEA FoodTray on December 1^st at 10:00 CET.

This content was sponsored by GEA.