Combining an eco-friendly recycled material and tamper-evident design with revealing package clarity, Placon, a leading North American designer and manufacturer of high-quality custom and stock plastic packaging, has sought to combine market-driven features into its Crystal Seal reFresh packaging line. From fresh cut fruit and vegetables, sandwiches, cookies to single slices of pie, the entire line is designed to highlight and sell fresh delicious-looking food to the safety-minded, eco-conscious consumer.

The reFresh product line features eight sizes and shapes that can be used in various configurations with multiple combinations of food for versatility in merchandising. The packaging combines numerous features from unobstructed views of the product, material that reduces environmental waste, a hinge that alerts if tampering has occurred, along with a leak-resistant design, tight seals and tabs that are made for easy opening and closing by consumers.

The primary goal of the line was to design the recycled PET containers in a way that maximized the structural integrity of the packaging while ensuring ribbing was kept to a bare minimum, creating a more “invisible” package that puts food freshness and presentation front and center.

The FDA food-grade, 100 percent recyclable line of plastic food containers includes portion-sized, multi-compartment packaging along with containers perfect for half sandwiches, hoagies and pre-packaged fresh meals. The ultra-clear containers are manufactured from curbside collected plastic bottles and thermoforms containing up to 100 percent post-consumer content.

“Every reFresh package is made with our EcoStar PET which contains high clarity, recycled plastic that we purchase in bales at our recycling facility, then wash and recycle into new packaging, “ states Jeff Lucash, director of sales – Placon Stock Products. “The containers are tamper-evident which helps assure consumers the package hasn’t been tampered with, and after use, the food containers can simply be tossed into recycling bins to be sorted, washed and reused again and again.”

In addition to the reFresh containers, Placon has also launched 9 new sizes of packaging, adding on to its Crystal Seal Hinged Deli, Tamper-Evident and Fresh ‘n Clear Catering lines. And with the acquisition of injection molded container manufacturer Plastic Packaging Corporation, expect to see a bevy of new products on display at this year’s IDDBA 2014 show in Colorado.