New tray fulfills profound consumer demand

Climate-friendly tray from Sealpac
A large majority of consumers have a profound desire to cut down on the consumption of plastic for reasons of climate, environment and sustainability. This is concluded in an analysis from Danish Agriculture & Food Council. Nemco is ready to meet the extensive consumer demand for smaller plastic with eTray from Sealpac, a tray that is not only climate-friendly but also meets food producers' requirements for quality and safety.

- eTray is a significant input in the sustainability trend, which will make its mark on the entire food industry in the coming years. It is good for packaging food, especially meat proteins. The plastic consumption for the tray is 60% less than for most conventional plastic trays, says CEO Lars Olsgaard from Nemco.

Sustainable food and beverage purchases
Consumers' interest in plastic-reducing sustainable solutions is one of the prevailing results of an analysis from Agriculture & Food, which has examined people's views on climate and sustainability. 95% have either changed their behavior or are willing to change their behavior for reasons of climate, environment and sustainability. 66% think about 'sustainability' to 'some' or a 'high' degree when shopping for food and drink. And 74% believe that it will be of great importance for climate, environment and sustainability if we buy goods with no or minimal packaging. Different ways to use less plastic come in first, fourth and fifth place respectively, among a total of 35 climate-friendly actions that respondents have been asked to rank.

eTray is not only Sealpac's response to the desire for less plastic consumption. Also, the disposal of the used tray is climate-friendly. The tray is prefabricated using thermoforming, where a thin inner tray of plastic is assembled with an outer tray of cardboard. The inner tray of plastic only acts as a barrier and seal.

- When the tray is emptied, it is easy to separate cardboard and plastic so that consumers can dispose of the tray in a sustainable way, e.g. with a view to recycling, says Lars Olsgaard.

Unique communication interface
The big plus of eTray, however, is the opportunities to communicate with consumers via the tray itself, says Lars Olsgaard.

- Both on the inside and outside of the outer cardboard tray, text, photos and other illustrations can be printed in really high quality. As a food producer, you thus get a communication surface for branding the product and the values ​​that characterise it. In this way, eTray is a unique solution for those consumers who want an experience that goes beyond the food itself, says Lars Olsgaard and adds:

- If you take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with consumers via the tray, the product is raised on quality and price, as the consumer all in all have a better dining experience.

eTray is equipped with an unbroken sealing edge and can be hermetically sealed by MAP on all Sealpac's A-series traysealers. eTray is as safe and durable as conventional plastic trays. Sealpac states that eTray is suitable for meat, but can also be used for fish, poultry, plant-based foods and convenience products.