GEA launches FoodTray to give meat packagers 80% plastic reductions

04 Aug 2021 --- GEA is launching FoodTray – a combination of cardboard tray and plastic film – for packaging marinated meat. The company is touting the launch as a material- and carbon emissions-saving alternative for the meat industry.

The FoodTray is a combined solution, comprising a cardboard tray lined with film, offering the advantages of cardboard and plastic while reducing the quantity of plastic by up to 80 percent. 

Materials made from fossil resources have been replaced by fully recyclable, renewable fibers. Consumers can easily separate the cardboard and film before disposing of them in appropriate recycling streams.

After deep drawing the film on a GEA PowerPak PLUS thermoformer, the trays are sealed directly to the inside of the box. This is followed by the customer-specific packaging process. 

Hans-Guenter Donges, responsible for overarching developments in process technology at GEA, explains that “not only are the investment costs low – the upshot is more environmentally sustainable packaging.” 

MAP packaging heights range from 20 to 60 mm, with skin versions reaching between 20 and 42 mm. Since the entire surface can be printed on, the system solution facilitates high-quality product presentation and takes account of growing product labeling requirements.

FZ Neumuenster and the FoodTray
Meat producer FZ Neumuenster, which has used GEA machines for many years to package its fresh meat and sausage products for department stores, supermarkets and associated retailers, advocates for FoodTray’s environmental footprint. 

The PowerPak PLUS thermoformer.When the meat producer opted to replace an old tray sealer to respond more rapidly to fast-paced consumer market demands, its chief requirements included boosting flexibility in the packaging process while significantly reducing the quantity of plastic used. 

GEA’s FoodTray presented a “compelling solution.” This packaging system delivers in terms of product presentation, haptics, safety and sustainability without compromising on stability and food protection, says the company. 

“Despite frequent product changes, production is now twice as fast as before and requires less labor. What’s more, the film seals tightly around the piece of marinated meat like a second skin, not only ensuring its visual appeal but also that no liquid can escape,” says product manager Dirk Stemke.

“The packaged meats look appetizing and are shown off to their best advantage when displayed in refrigerated supermarket cabinets.” 

Software for plastics savings 
To further reduce material waste during the packaging process, GEA also made software adjustments upfront when designing the PowerPak PLUS thermoformer. 

This means fewer empty packages are produced as part of the feed-in process during product changeovers, and thus less waste is produced, says the company.

GEA’s machinery developments 
The FoodTray follows a number of machinery developments made by GEA this year. In January, GEA added a paper-based packaging dimension to its PowerPak Plus thermoforming machine. 

The new packaging option is made from a moldable paper composite of more than 80 percent paper and a residual amount of plastic for features that deliver barrier properties.

In April, the company unveiled a new version of its skin thermoforming packaging technology – the PowerPak Skin.50 – which can perform vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) packing on the same machine. 

The thermoforming packaging machine provides processors of sliced products, meat cuts, sausages, fish, hard cheese and seafood up to 100 mm high with high-capacity packing, protruding up to 50 mm above the level of the packing tray.

Edited

By Louis Gore-Langton