HAVI Global Solutions (HGS; havigs.com) has partnered with Manitowoc Foodservice Inc. to develop breakthrough, ready to serve accelerated cooking packaging. True to its name, SIX500™ provides food processors, convenience stores and restaurant operators with an enhanced packaging solution that can safely withstand temperatures up to 525 degrees Fahrenheit for six minutes. Through an integrated approach of sharing perspectives from packaging and equipment, HGS and MFS were able to address a fragmented customer issue through the co-development of an integrated solution. SIX500 will be available for sale through HGS starting in September 2016 with additional enhancements coming in 2017.

Over the past decade, oven technology has developed rapidly, allowing restaurants to produce quality food in a very short timeframe. Packaging technology hasn’t kept up with the advances in ovens. This new material – and its use of proprietary moisture barriers and laminations – is specifically designed to withstand high temperatures and steam, which allows for food products to be rapidly cooked in disposable packaging.

Through the R&D process, HGS and MFS spent significant time talking to restaurant and convenience store operators to understand some of the key challenges they were facing. “Many operators voiced frustration on the lack of safe, highly functional, and disposable packaging options available for extreme commercial oven environments. Today, they use permanent ware and transfer to disposable packaging post-cooking,” says Alison Cullin, director of Culinary Innovation at Manitowoc Foodservice. “Integrating packaging through HAVI Global Solutions as part of our holistic systems approach has raised the bar for our customers and expanded their culinary and supply chain possibilities. SIX500, for the first time, provides FDA compliant packaging designed specifically for extreme commercial oven environments.”

Extreme commercial oven environments are an efficient and effective cooking method for the preparation of foods such as pizzas or breads, producing the visual appeal and optimal food textures in the short timeframe that consumers are looking for. “To provide the desired results on a consistent basis, the packaging needs to safely perform in a predictable manner each time,” says J.P. Zurek, senior director of Business Development at HAVI Global Solutions. “Conventional packaging options have not been designed to withstand the extreme conditions that can occur on some platforms. SIX500 not only provides optimal performance, but it has been meticulously developed and iterated to ensure all materials used are safe for the processor, operator and end customer.”

Key benefits to the new SIX500 packaging line include robust structural integrity, optimal release performance across a wide variety of product types and moisture resistant coatings that can stand up to the most aggressive heat and steam conditions. In addition, food can be pre-packaged, cooked and then served in the same packaging carrier which creates time and labor efficiencies throughout the product lifecycle.

Featured at Chicago’s annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, SIX500 was exhibited through demonstrations by equipment experts for Show attendees. The NRA Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals and was held May 21-24 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

HGS has a history of developing leading edge packaging solutions to meet changing consumer needs in the food industry. Through a strategic partnership with MFS, a global leader in professional and cutting-edge food service equipment and systems, both companies have once again shown that the best ideas come from collaboration and from focusing on solving real world customer issues.