Tetra Pak and Shanghai Meilin expand Tetra Recart into Asian dessert soups

Tetra Pak has partnered with Shanghai Meilin, a sub-brand of Shanghai Bright Meat Group, to expand the possibilities for packaged Asian soup desserts with its Tetra Recart carton packaging for shelf-stable foods. 

The companies say that Tetra Recart’s established category solution brings Asian dessert concepts’ rich ingredients, authentic flavors, and cultural heritage to supermarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce platforms.

“The essence of a great traditional Chinese dessert lies in the texture and quality of its ingredients. Tetra Recart supports small ingredient pieces and solutions for larger solid particles and high-viscosity products, giving brands greater flexibility when developing ‘ingredient-rich’ Chinese desserts,” says Tetra Pak.

Maintaining taste and texture

In particular, Shanghai Meilin has adopted Tetra Pak’s solution for its ready-to-eat Rock Sugar Mung Bean Soup and Rock Sugar Snow Fungus Soup desserts.

The companies share that the packaging sterilization process preserves the authentic flavor of ingredients, maintaining the fresh texture, natural taste, and nutritional value typically achieved through slow cooking.

Tetra Pak shares that traditionally, freshly prepared desserts face challenges such as short shelf life and susceptibility to spoilage. Tetra Recart, made from renewable paper-based materials, polymers, and a high-performance aluminum barrier layer, can withstand high-temperature processing while protecting products from light, oxygen, and bacterial contamination. 

Tetra Pak and Shanghai Meilin aim to pursue demand-driven innovation and help traditional food thrive in the modern marketplace.Tetra Recart allows the Asian desserts to achieve a shelf life of up to 18 months at room temperature without the need for preservatives.

Improving convenience

Tetra Pak highlights that the solution also features a three-step easy-open format, with no sharp edges, making it safe and convenient for users of all ages, including children and elderly consumers. 

Consumers need to fold the two sides upward and lift the opening tab. The dessert soup is ready after tearing along the dotted line. “Combined with an attached spoon, Tetra Recart delivers a ‘one person, one pack, one spoon’ experience, making it easier to enjoy Chinese desserts during everyday occasions such as office breaks, outdoor camping trips, and late-night work sessions,” says Tetra Pak.

Tetra Pak and Shanghai Meilin’s innovation builds on their previous collaboration on prepackaged regional specialties, namely Taiwanese-style Braised Pork Rice, Japanese-style Beef Curry, and Shanghai-style Borscht Soup.

Tetra Recart is available in six sizes — 100 mL, 200 mL, 340 mL, 390 mL, 440 mL, and 500 mL — allowing brands to meet different consumer needs, from single-serve convenience and light meals to family-sized stocking and sharing occasions.

According to the companies, the square and compact packaging format improves efficiency in transportation and storage compared with traditional glass bottles and metal cans. On retail shelves, the packaging can be arranged in rows, enhancing display efficiency and strengthening visual appeal.

Tapping into Asia’s demand 

Tetra Pak says its solution is inspiring brands with new local product possibilities. According to the company, Asian desserts such as soft tofu pudding, Beijing pear soup, mango pomelo sago, and lotus seed red bean soup can leverage Tetra Recart technology to overcome limitations related to distribution, space, and freshness.

Recently, Tetra Pak expanded its paper-based barrier technology to its high-speed A3/Speed filling lines into Asia, with South Korean F&B company Maeil Dairies implementing the solution for its soy milk.

Last year, the company added a second packaging material production line to its Binh Duong facility, Vietnam, boosting annual production from 12 billion to 30 billion F&B packages.