Packaging

Cascades, a leader in eco-friendly recycling, hygiene and packaging solutions, launched its new range of Cascades Fresh packaging products for fruits and vegetables. Designed for producers, packers and retailers, Cascades Fresh packaging solutions meet the needs of this key industry while also addressing consumers’ concerns about the environmental footprint of their foodstuffs.

Through this new range of products, Cascades brings the circular economy to life by using different types of recovered cardboard and plastics to offer a full range of eco-friendly, recycled and 100 percent recyclable products to reduce the environmental footprint of packaging used in the produce sector. The products include trays made from a wide variety of materials and corrugated cardboard baskets, carriers and boxes as well as a number of sturdiness and leakproofness options.

Pace International, Wapato, Wash., has redesigned its website.

The company, which provides products that inhibit decay and prolong shelf life of fresh produce, has added more content about its products on the website, www.paceint.com. There are interactive tools to help select products and services for packing lines and storage of fresh produce, according to a news release.

It also features streamlined functionality for quick access to Pace International’s services, products and technologies. The company introduces “A Sustainable World of Plenty,” a commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and a pledge to continue reducing postharvest food waste.

"Pace will continue investing and partnering to develop novel technologies that protect the quality, freshness and nutritional value of our customer's perishable products, and do it in ways that further improve packing efficiencies, rationalize use of resources, and minimize the impact on the environment,” Jorge Gotuzzo, senior director of marketing, said in the release.

At Tops Friendly Markets, social responsibility and sustainability have always been at the core of the company’s mission, upholding standards that ensure the reduction of environmental waste and energy consumption while providing its customers with sustainably sourced, high-quality products. So when the opportunity came to take a closer look at the packaging of its produce items to make a change for the better, it simply made sense.

Another way Tops produce department has committed to its environmental impact is its partnership with local growers like Intergrow, who is now the sole provider of greenhouse-grown tomatoes for Tops. Now instead of bringing this product from Leamington, ON (255 miles away) or Mexico (2,000 miles away), product will be transported from Albion, NY (45 miles away) or Webster, NY (75 miles away), 52 weeks a year helping Tops to reduce its carbon footprint, another testament to Tops belief in supporting local growers and reducing its environmental impact.

Traditionally produce from any local grocery is packaged on foam trays which is non-biodegradable, considered a main source of marine debris, and even during manufacturing is said to emit HFC’s or hydrofluorocarbons, which negatively impact the ozone layer and climate change.

EarthFresh, Atlanta, is offering its line of conventional and organic potatoes in 100% compostable paper bags.

The switch was made, according to the company, as consumers become more mindful of the use of plastic and are looking for alternatives.

“We are doing our part to help keep the world a cleaner place by offering environmentally friendly, compostable paper packaging,” Jessica Hughes, director of innovation at EarthFresh, said in the release.

The paper bags are available in all pack sizes, with baby potatoes in 1- and 1.5-pounds, and A- and B-sized potatoes in 3-, 5-, and 10-pound bags. “We know that shoppers – especially millennials, will try new products based on sustainable packaging,” Hughes said in the release.

Vegpro International, Sherrington, Quebec, is switching packaging of its Fresh Attitude salads to 100% recycled and recyclable plastic containers from Cascades.

Baby lettuce grower Vegpro previously used virgin plastic in the packaging, according to a news release. The partnership offers custom-designed containers that improve airflow and prolong shelf life by limiting buildup of excess humidity, maintaining crispness longer.

Increasing automation, using bio-based materials and stepping up recycling education efforts are a few ways suppliers have responded to sustainable packaging demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From packaging production, to packaging disposal, panelists at a July 20 sustainable packaging session at the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice: Delivered virtual event addressed some of the steps they are taking to meet the consumer desire for sustainable packaging alternatives.

“Now is the time to review and update your packaging,” said Ed Treacy, vice president of supply chain and sustainability at PMA.

Fox Packaging, McAllen, Texas, uses automation in its package manufacturing process.

A parasite linked to bagged salad mixes has sickened 641 people in 11 states, federal health officials said Friday.

As consumers want to know more about the provenance of their food, the Tasmanian Fruit and Vegetable Export Facilitation Group is releasing a new resource that highlights the digitalisation of provenance. The new Food Transparency information resource looks at the tracing and tracking of food and its…

On Monday July 20th, the PMA Foodservice Delivered virtual event kicked off with multiple webinars and sessions for visitors to attend. One of these was a sustainable packaging webinar in which nine presenters discussed their products and how their companies are pushing new developments in sustainable…

For perishable products such as fruits and vegetables, the type of packaging used is vital as it can affect the product’s shelf-life and safety. FarmFresh packaging is designed by Brazilian company Termotécnica and distributed to Brazilian growers and exporters of fresh produce. Nivaldo Fernandes de…

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“We think safe packaging, such as heat-sealed punnets, will replace bulk packs of grapes,” says Joaquim Praxedes, General Manager at Vale Da Rosa. This is a Portuguese company that specializes in table grapes. Its primary focus is on Portugal. “Regarding foreign markets, we look with special interest to…

Food loss and waste (FLW) currently causes an estimated $1 trillion in economic losses globally each year. This constitutes a major humanitarian crisis in addition to an economic one, leading the United Nations to set a goal of reducing global FLW by 50% by 2030. A new report by Lux Research, “Preserving…

The amount of plastic wasted has soared during the current lockdown, as Scots believe products are a lot safer to eat when packaged. A new Populus poll found that two in three Scots are concerned about an increase in plastic waste during lockdown. Some people seem to believe that produce like fruit and…

While the pandemic has brought many changes to all levels of the produce industry supply chain, for Piñabar, the machine that cuts pineapples for consumers inside of grocery stores, the disruption has fortunately been minimal. Michel van Keeken explains: “We saw the initial dip, like everyone did, but we…

Growers and packers of fresh produce know Mediane as a converter of flexible films for the packaging of herbs, lettuce and fresh produce. Mediane has been a market leader in the field of conical sleeves in Europe, USA and Australasia for many years already. Their product line also includes Peel & Reseal…

A plastic-free salad packaging solution has been developed by Sirane as part of a project working with some major brands in France. (RE)SET Packaging are a consultancy company specialised in the circular economy, who looked worldwide for the most innovative providers of sustainable packaging working in…

Food safety has always been a concern in the fresh-cut industry. For ready-to-eat vegetables such as lettuce, the entire cleaning process usually takes 2 to 3 minutes, which is too long for conventional cleaning lines. Therefore, a cleaning line with an extended launder is necessary to ensure the…

Technical benefits of fresh fruit post-harvest treatments have been scientifically demonstrated and established during last decades and it is fully accepted that they deliver very relevant and positive additional functionalities than can be summarised as follows: I. reducing permeability to water loss II. creation of a modified atmosphere for coated fresh produce and effect…

It takes decades for a produce processor to build up its brand, but only seconds to ruin it. A product recall traced back to contamination in your packaging equipment can destroy one's credibility overnight. That’s why selecting the right vertical form fill seal bagger (VFFS) is critical to the success…

In the fruit and vegetable sector, there are two permanent trends with regard to customer wishes. On the one hand, fruit and vegetables should be produced and marketed as regionally as possible. On the other hand, more and more customers expect vegetarian products to be unpackaged. It does not always…

Controlled atmosphere technology is vital to the agriculture industry and allows growers to store their produce for longer. But for smaller and medium-sized growers, controlled atmosphere rooms are often more difficult to access, forcing them to have to be more creative to find ways to store their…