Hormel party trays square off, go green
Hormel Foods has revamped the packaging of its party trays to reduce material and otherwise add more appeal. The trays of cold cuts, cheese and crackers have been changed from round to elliptical with corners, a shape that uses less plastic. The shrink wrap covering the exterior was replaced with tamper-evident tape on two of the side panels, which Hormel estimates will save about 100,000 pounds of film a year. The corrugated cases have been downsized, using less corrugated and allowing three more cases per pallet. In addition, product graphics are now inlaid on the interior of the tray’s lid to help achieve a fresher, deli-like feel. This revamp, which was rolled out in the fall, is the first wave of a packaging revamp that will affect all of Hormel’s party tray products.