Supermarket shelves in Finland will soon be seeing the latest addition to Finnish packaging company Huhtamaki's portfolio - thermoformed rigid packaging line-up for fresh foods.
According to the company the new packaging - the slice tray - was designed to provide a hygienic reclosable option for sliced meats and cheeses.
"With this transparent tray, consumers have a safe and easy way to serve sliced meat or cheese directly from the packaging and not use a separate plate," said Jussi Rautiainen, sales and marketing manager at Huhtamaki.
The company was quick to stress that table readiness is one of the key factors why Huhtahyvat, the Finnish-based meat producer, has chosen 'Slice Tray' to merchandise its special products. "We are sold on the fact that consumers can serve our products directly from the refrigerator to the table and then seal it back up again with the reclosable lid," said Jukka Vilska, president of Huhtahyvat. "This is a much more hygienic and convenient way to package and merchandise our products," he added.
A rigid modified atmosphere package, the 'Slice Tray' features a heat sealed barrier film between the polypropylene tray and the polystyrene snap-on lid. The film is removed when opening the package for the first time. "The rigid plastic design better protects products from damage during shipping and retail handling compared to other packaging alternatives," Rautiainen claimed.
Other package design features include up to 16-20 days' shelf life in modified atmosphere (MAP) applications, a built-in hook for vertical hanging display options and stackable for optimal use of cooler space.
According to Vilska, the package enhances merchandising opportunities "because you can easily hang the package vertically or stack it in a cooler. Our retail customers have a variety of display options which give them flexibility on display location." he said.
Huhtamaki also offers the product directly to in-store meat operations who slice and pack their own meats and cheeses. "This is an excellent option for those retail outlets who want to upscale their coldcut visibility," Rautiainen added.
The announcement this week follows hot on the heels of a move last month that saw Huhtamaki tackling the problem of creating recyclable in-flight food service packaging.