The recent period has shown it is important to pack products, especially in the potato, fruit and vegetable sector. Unpacked products are less likely to be taken out of supermarkets these days because consumers begin to realize this ‘naked’ presentation is less hygienic and can also lead to food loss. Especially now it appears that packing these products in plastic has many advantages. At Perfon we establish seven certainties of plastic film:
- Promotes Hygiene
- Is Food Safe
- Extends Shelf Life
- Is double Sustainable
- Efficient in use
- Versatile material
Below is a list of these certainties of plastic foil.
1. Hygiene: After the outbreak of the coronavirus, we know how important hygiene is to us and, as a result, packaged fresh products are increasing. An advantage of pre-packaged fruit & vegetables is that the product doesn’t pass through many people's hands directly.
Example: Pears hygienically and visibly packed in flowpack film
2. Food safety: Perfon's plastic film complies with all European food safety legislation and is supplied on request with audited quality certificates, such as BRC.
3. Shelf life: When using the right film quality, these natural products have a longer shelf life. The packaged product remains clearly and tastefully visible. The film can be printed with nutritional information, promotion and other company information. Cucumber in particular is a good example and the shelf life of packaged products is at least ten days longer than the unpackaged products. An important consequence of longer shelf life is less food waste!
Example: Leek stays fresh for a very long time in special flowpack film
4. Sustainable: It takes little energy to produce foil and it has a relatively low CO2 impact. The material is light and therefore easy to transport. Foil is 100% recyclable. And this is repeated because it's so important: using film means less food is wasted.
5. Efficient: Film can be processed without a hitch on the fastest packaging machines. The quality of the material is safe, reliable and consistent. Per running meter/yard it is inexpensive packaging material. Foil can be printed excellently, making labels superfluous.
Example: Pointed cabbage is packaged in shrink-wrap at more than 40 per minute.
6. Versatile: There are many types (and qualities) of film for all packaging machines and fruit & vegetables applications. Film is available with and without barrier with all kinds of aeration, printed or unprinted and with or without anti-condensation effect (with big differences). Tailor-made advice from Perfon can optimize these kind of products.
Example: Tomatoes packed in flowpack film with macro perforation
7. Rubbish and Plastic Soup: There are still many challenges around litter and the Plastic Soup problem. The potato, fruit and vegetable sector can contribute to the circular economy by using 100% recyclable films and packaging.
For more information:
Ellen Schreur
Perfon Flexible Packaging
Tel: +31 6 8268 7045
Email: e.schreur@perfon.nl
www.Perfon.nl