SAS’s packaging supplier worked together with Elanders, which previously developed compostable packaging for Malmö Aviation that was far lighter in weight. The brief was to create packaging that is easy to use, has low weight and presents the food in an elegant way.
Surface coating
Gustaf Öholm, senior manager, onboard concepts, services & sales, SAS, told FoodProductionDaily its previous packaging did not meet its criteria and it wanted a product which meets its quality and visual demands; including the feel of the material, the surface coating and the ability to colour it.
“The packaging must have low weight, present the food well and feel good in the hand. It must be easy to open and preserve the food,” he said.
“We were looking for all these things as well as a product that was environmentally friendly, sturdy with a good presentation. We also needed something that could withstand the temperature difference due to the cabin pressure.”
Incada is made at Iggesund Paperboard’s mill at Workington, England. The company recently changed its energy supply from fossil natural gas to biomass. The mill’s CHP power plant is the result of an £108m investment.
The paperboard is a suitable material for airline food packaging because it has a low weight and can be barrier coated.
Black-dyed polyethylene
The food packaging is now being used for evening meals for passengers in SAS Plus (premium economy) on almost all routes outside the Nordic region.
SAS is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and one of the largest airlines in Scandinavia, flying to 90 destinations.
Another feature is all the contents – apart from one piece of chocolate – are being produced at the same place at a catering company called Cookin, at Arlanda Airport, Stockholm. SAS believes this will maintain a consistency of the meals.
“We chose Incada from Iggesund because of its stiffness and we coated the inside with a barrier of black-dyed polyethylene," said Tony Norén , senior sales manager, Elanders.
The packaging’s outside was printed black and we then put a lot of effort into finding a transparent film that captured a minimum of condensation to create the best possible visual impression of the food."