Retailers have new opportunities for fresh fish in the seafood case thanks to recent packaging innovations from Sealed Air’s Cryovac (www.cryovac.com) packaging systems brand. Cryovac Darfresh 10K and CryovacLID1050S, two new packaging options meeting FDA oxygen permeability requirements for fresh and frozen seafood, made their market introductions at the 2012 Boston Seafood Show.

These products offer solutions for retailers looking to meet customer preferences for more case ready seafood options. Customers’ increasing preference for grab-and-go products can cause retail headaches due to strict regulations for safe packaging, storage and handling of seafood. With Darfresh 10K and LID1050S, retailers enjoy simplified stock control with less waste and spoilage.

“While offering FDA-compliant protection for fresh seafood, these products provide retailers the added advantage of displaying only the amount and type of fish needed to fill their self-service retail display,” says Jim Belcher, seafood marketing manager, Sealed Air. “With so many customers looking for products that fit their on-the-go lives, appropriate stocking levels have become more difficult to manage. This is especially true for seafood, the leading cause of shrink in most retail stores.”

The Cryovac Darfresh 10K package is a unique three-dimensional package with a second skin appearance, showcasing the product for an attractive look appealing to consumers. The breathable vacuum packaging provides quality assurance, enables extended shelf life for seafood products and is freezer ready. Retailers benefit from the extended product quality and shelf life, as well as enjoying a cleaner meat case due to strong hermetic seals that bolster the product’s leak resistance. In addition, Darfresh 10K enables processors to utilize higher speed equipment for more efficient operation. The product’s reduced profile improves shipping characteristics, helping to control costs and further increase efficiencies.

Cryovac LID1050S lidding film is highly breathable due to a proprietary Cryovac process for microperforation of the lidstock. The multilayer film achieves oxygen transfer rate (OTR) at or above the FDA mandated 10,000 OTR for fresh seafood, allowing processors to prepackage product without using modified atmosphere packaging. The film remains fog-free even during refrigeration, offers exceptional transparency and features a uniformly flat top and clean perimeter edges, giving the product great merchandising appeal. Strong hermetic seals create a virtually leakproof, case-ready package. Even during refrigeration, it remains fog-free, and sparkling in appearance, providing a full view of the product. The LID 1050S lidstock material runs on traditional tray/lidding equipment and works with both Cryovac SPT and Barrier Foam trays.

Both products are ideal for a range of seafood applications such as salmon, shrimp, catfish, tilapia, cod or tuna. They also can be used for prepared, cooked and value-added seafood products such as crabcakes, salmon burgers and stuffed shrimp.