Aptar expands active packaging to enhance seafood quality for e-commerce
15 Aug 2024 --- Aptar Food Protection, part of Aptar Group, has expanded its Sea Well active packaging system into the e-commerce sector. Used by major retailers in the US, Sea Well is designed to preserve the freshness, quality and appearance of seafood.
The packaging system is now available for direct-to-consumer shipping of various seafood products, including filets, whole fish and shellfish such as crab legs, scallops and shrimp.
“The Sea Well active packaging system addresses many of the challenges the seafood home delivery market faces, particularly related to keeping products fresh and avoiding messy leaks and spills during transit,” says Neal Watson, vice president and general manager for Aptar Food Protection.
“This innovative technology can deliver as much as an extra day of in-home shelf life, improving consumer experiences, driving customer loyalty and securing repeat business.”
Following customer feedback, two home delivery companies have incorporated Sea Well technology into their seafood meal kits. The adoption enhances convenience and cleanliness for consumers by facilitating frozen-to-thaw distribution and cleaner handling issues.
Sea Well packaging features integrated technology that absorbs excess liquids, which helps maintain seafood quality and appearance by preventing product breakdown. It utilizes food contact-safe absorbent materials and proprietary Drip-Lock technology to capture excess fluids in patented pockets or wells. This design reduces microbial growth, chemical degradation and odor.
“The home delivery companies we work with are always listening to the voice of the consumer and making packaging changes to improve user experiences to promote customer loyalty,” says Michael Stephens, CEO at Bama Sea Products.
“In particular, shrimp tends to be a prominent cause of customer complaints in the home delivery sector due to leaking, messy handling and cross-contamination with other proteins. We were delighted to be able to work with Aptar to develop an appropriate Sea Well packaging solution for this market and bring it to commercialization.”
