Pactiv Corporation, the US-based packaging provider, has introduced the Panta-Pak line of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trays for pears, which is said to make transportation far less risky.
The pear trays feature individual thermoformed "cups" which cradle each pear and prevent it from spinning or jostling during transport. The unique cup walls add strength, which, the company says, results in improved support for the fruit. Fruit is buoyed higher in the tray, off the bottom of the box, for less box contact. Additionally, more of the fruit is visible from above, resulting in a better display presentation.
The new Panta-Pak Euro-style pear tray is available in five different cavity counts and can accommodate the pear sizes DT20 to DT135.
The trays have been specifically designed to accommodate overlapping fruit sizes. Further, the number of different sized trays has been reduced from an industry standard of 15 to five. This gives the packer additional flexibility to minimise tray inventory and provides alternatives for looser or snugger fits depending on fruit characteristics.
The tray dimensions enable layering either in twos or threes, depending on the outer container type-a Euro-style plastic returnable containers (RPC) or corrugated box. At the retail level, a box is simply put in place and consumers select the fruit directly from the display.
The company says that with the industry taking a sharper look at shipping riper fruit, protection from the field to the consumer's table becomes even more critical.
Panta-Pak pear trays are the latest addition to Pactiv full line of packaging products for agricultural applications. The trays are also suitable for non-agricultural applications such as other food items and industrial parts.
Pactiv Corporation is a leading producer of specialty packaging products with sales of $2.9 billion and operations in 14 countries. The company is a market leader in growth sectors of the packaging industry: Consumer Products, with the Hefty brand; Foodservice/Food Packaging; and Protective and Flexible Packaging.