Meat, Poultry & Seafood
Exploring Innovations in Protein Packaging
The meat/poultry/seafood packaging industry is seeing improvements in sustainability and safety.
Packaging innovations in the meat/poultry/seafood sector have spanned many different areas. Advancements in the use of sustainable materials for product storage and packaging have been significant, with companies finding unique ways to lower their carbon footprint. Additionally, suppliers have also found ways to ensure product safety with innovative detection systems and freshness-preserving technologies.
As an example, Klöckner Pentaplast recently unveiled modified atmosphere packaging for fresh proteins. The trays are 10% lighter than other solutions in the category and are made with up to 100% recycled PET, making them a sustainable option as well.
Focusing on sustainability, Xact Prepack recently partnered with Termoformas to bring eco-friendly trays and punnets for meat and fish packaging. The new packaging solutions are made of at least 80% recycled content.
On the safety side, Boston Sword & Tuna enlisted metal detectors from Mettler-Toledo on its packaging lines. Mettler-Toledo’s Profile Advantage solution helped Boston Sword & Tuna accurately detect metal contaminants, while also filtering out false rejects, which can be an issue in seafood products.
Learn more about these solutions below.
Klöckner Pentaplast Launches MAP Packaging for Protein Packing Lines
Klöckner Pentaplast Elite® Nova features a ribbed design that adds strength in critical areas of the package. Image source: Klöckner Pentaplast
Klöckner Pentaplast (kp), a global leader in rigid and flexible packaging and specialty film solutions, has announced the launch of kp Elite® Nova, a next generation modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) tray that is the lightest in its class.
The tray uses a unique ribbed design to add strength in critical areas, while keeping weight and material use to a minimum, making it around 10% lighter than any other tray in its category without compromising on barrier performance, sealing integrity, or mechanical strength. Developed using finite element analysis, kp Elite® Nova is ideal for high-speed automated protein packing lines and represents a step forward in sustainable food packaging.
Xact Prepack Partners with Termoformas to Offer Sustainable Trays and Punnets
The new range of solutions is being manufactured at Termoformas’ facility in Alicante, Spain. Image source: Xact Prepack
Xact Prepack, a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, recently announced a new partnership with Termoformas, a renowned manufacturer of high-quality plastic packaging solutions.
The collaboration brings a range of innovative and eco-friendly plastic punnets and trays to the food industry, demonstrating Xact’s commitment to providing sustainable packaging options for its customers.
The range of solutions features a minimum of 80 percent recycled content, making the product highly sustainable. It also means the products are not applicable for plastic tax. This not only benefits the environment by reducing reliance on virgin plastic and minimizing waste, but it also provides significant cost savings. The products are designed for a variety of food applications, including fresh produce, meat, and fish, offering a versatile and sustainable packaging solution that helps businesses meet their environmental and economic goals.
Boston Sword & Tuna Ensures Product Safety with Mettler-Toledo Metal Detectors
After initial success, Boston Sword & Tuna added two more Mettler-Toledo metal detectors in 2023. Image source: Mettler-Toledo
Boston Sword & Tuna (BST), one of the nation’s largest seafood distributors, has been delivering premium-quality fish and shellfish to customers across the United States since the 1970s. With roots in Sicilian fishing traditions, this family-run business now operates out of a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot facility where they process a wide variety of fresh and frozen seafood. To help ensure final product quality, BST installed Profile Advantage metal detectors from Mettler-Toledo on all three of their packaging lines.
“Inspecting seafood is particularly difficult for most metal detectors,” said Phil Tripoli, Maintenance Manager at BST. “Saltwater and ice put out a magnetic field that can confuse run-of-the-mill systems, so we needed something high tech that could reliably identify metal contaminants without triggering false rejects. Mettler-Toledo is well regarded in the seafood industry, and their Profile Advantage is a great fit for our needs.”
BST installed their first Profile Advantage in 2020 and added two more in 2023 on their other packaging lines. BST’s metal detectors are equipped with a large aperture to inspect 10-pound corrugated cases of fresh and frozen products including cod, salmon, haddock, crab, swordfish, scallops and shellfish.
“We were so impressed with our first Profile Advantage that going back for more was an easy decision,” explained Tripoli. “The entire purchasing and startup process was seamless, thanks to excellent support from Mettler-Toledo and our sales rep, Brian Vernet of Flo-Dynamics.”
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