The heat is on: accelerating the switch to sustainable tray and sandwich packs

Answering consumer demands for more sustainable packaging solutions, The Jenton Group will be showcasing new machine and material combinations at Packaging Innovations 2023.

Subsidiary Soken Engineering will demonstrate machine, material and heat sealing developments being taken by customers to their address carbon footprints and reduce waste. For example, how one wholesale sandwich customer - Proper Tasty from Northallerton – has virtually doubled the shelf life of its previously hand-packed pre-cut sandwiches to four days.

WRAP, in their 2015 report “Reducing Food Waste by Extending Product Shelf Life, determined that by extending the use by date by just one day could see the food industry save up to £600 million annually. Within this report, it was also estimated that poor seal integrity contributed to 480,000 tonnes of food being wasted in the UK every year.

In food-to-go packaging, the quality of the heat seal is fundamental to fresh food product quality, emphasises Soken Engineering’s sales manager Stephen Hawes. “The primary topic and challenge facing the entire market is adapting packaging and extending the eco-options while simultaneously navigating disparate and non-coherent recyclable waste management strategies.”

To assist, Jenton offers a range of machinery and packaging options. With their banding systems, for example, customers are seeking new ways to minimise primary packaging, reduce the use of shrink wrap, replace rubber bands and keep packs stable during shipping. Likewise, in bag and pouch sealing, the company remains focused on reducing packaging weight, whilst increasing shelf life and reducing waste product.

The Soken four-pack semi-automatic heat sealing machines, installed by Proper Tasty and on display at the show, is testament to the swift results that a reliable packaging seal can accomplish. Even on eco-materials. Since re-branding its wedge sandwich range, the North Yorkshire SME has reported a 35% uplift in demand among premium customers.

Designed to adapt to packaging and built to last, the Soken four cavity H535AC heat board sealer gives Proper Tasty the repeatable and consistent quality seal every 3.5 seconds to maintain presentation. Sustaining this level of freshness and achieving an air-tight seal significantly reduces the volume of preventable food waste generated by uneaten sandwiches, reports Proper Tasty founder Byron Evans.

Visit Stand E26 to hear first-hand how the Jenton team is helping companies to maintain packaging integrity by getting things right first time.