The trays are used inside the traditional carton board boxes for “additional product protection”.
The packaging supplier said the “robust design” of its recyclable PET trays help to avoid breakages during the transportation of bakery products, such as iced doughnuts and buns.
Due to their delicate nature, the products are placed directly into the boxes just one layer high without any other protective packaging such as separators, said Linpac.
This means the goods often arrive at the supermarket damaged and as a result cannot be sold.
Linpac said the cavitised design and special rib architecture of the new tray keeps individual products protected and separate.
Space savings
The company said that by turning the trays through 180 degrees, up to three times as many products can be packed in an individual box than before, products can be packed 40 or 60 to a box rather than the current 20.
By enabling more products to be transported in a single box, distributors said can deliver more products in one trip, reducing costs and helping to limit carbon emissions, said the company.
In addition, the trays are lightweight and can be recycled which offers further environmental benefits, said Linpac.
The trays can be used as point of sale display units and are also available in a range of colours including black and opaque so retailers can differentiate between product ranges.
The new packaging is available throughout Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and Central and Eastern Europe.