“Resealable label ideal for fresh produce packaging”

Jan van den Heuvel has been active in the world of fresh produce packaging for more than 30 years, the last eleven of which with his own company VDH Concept. Although the anti-plastic movement is unarguably active, this offers many opportunities to respond to, or be ahead of, trends on the market as well. “Compostable packaging still comes at a certain cost, but if it becomes a requirement for supermarkets, the market will have to respond to it.”

The packaging wholesaler supplies a range of fresh produce packaging, varying form cardboard dishes to top-seal. VDH Concept recently appointed Hugo Iserief, who is well-known in the packaging sector, to continue building on film specialities. The company is currently promoting its resealable packaging on the market. “Ideal for products like snack tomatoes, lettuce or soft fruit. We have options with top-seal film with an ‘open/close label,’ among other things, for these,” Hugo says.

Hugo Iserief and Jan van den Heuvel

“Swedish research has shown lettuce in a packaging with resealable label, which is opened in the refrigerator, remains fresh a few days longer in the fridge. With our packaging we can be an interesting option, price-wise, and we can also handle large numbers,” Hugo says. Thanks to VDH Concept’s participation in the packaging company VDHpolska in Minsk, 30 kilometres from Warsaw in Poland, the company is able to print and perforate all types of film. The aim for the coming years is entering other markets, in addition to the fresh produce sector.

“With the current resealable label packaging, customers can have added value.They can really position themselves with their own brand and a nice resealable packaging and preprinted label. That’s fairly unique for the fresh produce sector, although these kinds of packaging are already quite integrated in the world of biscuits,” Jan says. It was no sinecure to develop the resealable label film. “The glue has to be perfect, so that the packaging can be opened and closed as often as possible.”

Resealable label on a lettuce packaging.

The largest segment for VDH Concept is still potato packaging. The company developed a completely biodegradable packaging based on potato starch for a Finnish customer. “The advantage of this packaging is that it’s perfect for existing vertical and horizontal sealing machines,” Jan says. Although product-visibility is sometimes not quite up to scratch for biodegradable packaging, VDH Concept has developed a perforation that fixes this problem. “I’ve searched for a solution for four years, and I can honestly say we’re the only one in the world who can supply this. My next wish is certification for food-safe packaging films, partly produced using recyclable plastics. We’ve supplied this recyclable film to a Belgian supermarket for some years now.”

In general, the packer thinks the number of packing introductions sometimes leave something to be desired. “We really have to trigger our customers. I personally think that when choosing a packaging, the final customer’s actual wishes are often overlooked. Innovative packaging is being developed in the tomato sector, but other products are falling behind, in my opinion,” Jan says. “For some packaging we’re actually far ahead of our time. For example, in 2007 we introduced our steam packaging, Steamy, for potatoes at the Interpom, but there was no demand for this at all. Now it’s more than ten years later, and we’re starting to get more and more demand.”

For more information:
Jan Lode van den Heuvel
VDH Concept bvba
Nerviërslei 15
2900 Schoten - Belgium
T: +32-3 685 06 33
F: +32-3 645 75 81
sales@vdhconcept.com
www.vdhconcept.com