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aesthetic lends a farmers market atmosphere, which has been a popular vibe to adopt in-store.
GENERATIONS OF EXPERIENCE
A massive shift toward these types of sustainable materials may sound like a pipe dream to some and no doubt comes with practical challenges, but it is worth noting Sambrailo Packaging has been in existence for almost a century and has played a major role in various market introductions over the years.
“As our company is in our 96th year in the produce industry, we have been through the complete evolution of berry packaging from the pulp baskets with cling lm and rubber band, to the poly green mesh basket, to introducing the rst berry clamshell in 1987,” says Lozano. “When we were rst introducing the clamshell, there was reluctance, hesitation, price hurdles, material learning curves and much more that goes along with launching a new product and concept.”
Now, the plastic PET clamshell is the industry standard and has been for more than two decades.
“ e biggest threats to traditional clam- shells are what consumers are asking for and what our environment needs — less plastic,” she says. “With a demand to reduce plastic, material integrity can su er, and with that design and ventilation attributes can be compromised.
“ ermoforming is no doubt an art form and science — the chemistry of virgin PET, post-industrial PET and post-consumer PET all are major factors in the outcome of the product,” says Lozano.
Companies that manufacture traditional clamshells, however, say that safety is a concern, particularly with top-seal technology.
“Top-seal containers are generally only e ective for single-use servings, where resealing of the package is not a consider- ation, such as in dips, dressings and sauces,” says Cindy Blish, brand and communications director at Inline Plastics, Inc., Shelton, CT. “While top-seal packages can alert consumers to tampering, the innately imsy nature of the lm is prone to accidental breaks in the seal, which may result in the unnecessary waste and disposal of good products.
“All of Inline’s clamshell packages include features like leak-resistance, our patented Safe-T-Fresh tamper-resistant tear strip and the ability to reseal containers.”
However, Marco Boot, president of NNZ Inc. in Atlanta, is the third-generation repre- sentative of a packaging company with its roots in the Netherlands. He agrees top seals are making a big impact on the fresh produce
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX PACKAGING
industry, particularly when they’re used on cups, and overall they lead to a “prettier pack. “It’s de nitely growing fast. It’s just a question of the kind of packaging and the
way you’re able to top-seal,” he says. “ ere’s a whole di erent way of closing, so you have to have the machinery for it, and it’s a big thing to talk to the packer on how to handle it.
“It’s suited to small tomatoes, mushrooms, and we’re even doing now the ngerling small potatoes.”
e executive says it is also important to note the changing size of packaging, with single-person households reducing their purchases down from 5 pounds to 3 pounds to even 1 pound.
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2019 / 31