DS Smith launches its range of food packaging for fruit and vegetables. These new cardboard food trays are intended to replace plastic solutions, which will be banned from 2021 for the packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg.
The new range is printable and suitable for dry and wet food contact. The packaging is equipped with a perforated lid or windows to make products visible on the shelf. DS Smith has also optimized their structural designs so that they can be easily assembled and stacked.
"Consumers no longer want, or want as little as possible, plastic in their daily lives." indicates DS Smith.
Indeed, according to a Pro Carton study, 52% perceive cardboard as the most environmentally friendly packaging, compared to 9% for plastic, an important criterion since 64% believe that brands are not doing enough to introduce more environmentally friendly forms of packaging (read Consumers want change in their packaging ).
And according to a study by DS Smith, 1.5 million tonnes of plastic could be replaced each year in Europe in only five supermarket areas, including fresh produce trays.
Currently, plastic is commonly used to package fresh produce, while paper and cardboard has a recycling rate of 85% compared to 40% for plastic packaging, according to Eurostat data for 2019 (read Paper and cardboard has never been recycled so much in Europe ).
