Sealed Air's sustainable vacuum skin solution for Don KRCs So Tender pork range won top honours in the retail category of the Save Food Packaging awards.
The inaugural presentation of the Save Food Packaging awards took place in Melbourne on 1 June at the AIP National Conference gala dinner.
The two categories were retail and food services, and in the retail category the winner was Sealed Air's Cryovac Darfresh packaging for Don KR Castlemaine's [George Weston Foods] So Tender fresh pork range.
Sustainable solutions for fresh meat are in high demand. With all of the resources invested in producing fresh proteins (meats), prolonging freshness is a high priority.
Sealed Air's Alan Adams explains that the carbon footprint of 1kg of meat is 370 times greater than the package used to protect it, making it vital to maximise product protection.
“Shelf life extension is critical for retailers and for consumers,” he says.
Previously GWF used Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) for its fresh meat, but the switch to Darfresh has doubled the shelf life.
GWF's Tina Pitman says, “KR Castlemaine is pursuing growth in the fresh pork category through point of difference packaging that also enables the product to remain fresh for longer, and this in turn drives wider distribution.”
The packaging has been on shelf since February this year, and apart from extended shelf life, it also provides an 'in-built' tamper evident seal so increasing food safety, and is 12% lighter than conventional comparable packs.
Extended shelf life facilitates more product movement at retail level which leads to less mark downs and waste. The total vacuum skin seal allows retailers to vertically display the products. The absence of product purge also facilitates extended shelf life but also enhances consumer appeal.
“Better merchandising and product aesthetics drives more sales and ultimately less waste at retail,” says Adams.
For consumers, a longer shelf life gives them a larger window in which to consume the product and there's the added convenience of being able to freeze the meat in the original pack without it sustaining freezer burn.
According to Sealed Air, the absence of ice crystals in vacuum packed products prevents product dehydration and allows for a premium eating experience even after the product has been frozen. All of these benefits coupled with easy open features work to drive food waste reduction in family homes.
From a sustainability point of view, the Darfresh vacuum skin pack ticks a few other boxes: removal of the MAP headspace allows the pack size to be reduced which delivers excellent supply chain efficiencies including improved palletisation and a reduction in secondary (cardboard) packaging. With more product on board, this means less trucks on the road.
