New SKINFoil Extends Shelf Life for Ovenable Aluminum Foil Trays

The new SKINfoil tray features a special film that seals to all surfaces of the tray rim, sidewalls and base thereby tightly covering the entire contents.

Sep 8 2010 --- Nicholl Food Packaging has launched a unique ‘skinpack’ foil tray, which combines the convenience of an oven or grill tray with the superior extended shelf life of vacuum packaging.

The new SKINfoil tray features a special film that seals to all surfaces of the tray rim, sidewalls and base thereby tightly covering the entire contents. It can be used with Nicholl’s extensive range of smoothwall foil trays and are suitable for a wide variety of food products such as ready to cook meals, fish and seafood, game and fowl, meat and sausage products, and mini joints. Key benefits include pack minimisation, reduced food wastage, no leaking, product protection and enhanced product presentation.

The SKINfoil trays offer an enhanced shelf life of up to 10 days for certain products and cooking processes. Because there is no gas headspace required, shallower trays can be used, thus minimising pack requirements. Smaller pack sizes also offer environmental benefits in terms of lower weight and reduced handling and transportation costs, while the extended shelf life minimises product waste both instore and in the home.

The all surface coverage prevents leaking and ensures all food items including garnishes are held securely in place. Combined with the high transparency of the film, this maintains an appealing presentation at all times, especially for convenience meals which consist of several components. Trays can also be displayed vertically if required to optimise shelf fill or product visibility. In addition, the fixed placement of the product helps to maximise product protection during transit and on-shelf, and the film can prevent freezer burn.

The flexibility of the SKINfoil film means it is able to accommodate variable product dimensions or quantities, with the skin packaging being adjusted for different product shapes. SKINfoil is also suitable for mini joints which protrude slightly above the rim of the tray.

A top lidding film, sleeve or band can also be added to enable the trays to be stacked effectively. Both the skin and top lidding film are easily peeled in one simple action. For extra versatility, a sachet of sauce or promotional card can be inserted into the space between the skinpack and the top lid film. The sauce sachet need never come in contact with uncooked meat or food.

The SKINfoil solution has been developed by Nicholl Food Packaging in association with Bemis Europe, who supply the film, and Multivac UK, who has developed a special SKINfoil tray sealing machine. “We are extremely excited by this innovation for our smoothwall foil trays,” comments John Griffiths, Nicholl Food Packaging’s Group Chief Executive. “SKINfoil provides a wealth of benefits for both manufacturers and consumers, particularly in terms of product preservation and presentation, and user convenience.”