The development of the convenience food industry
People love convenience. Whether it’s the ability to microwave a meal for two, or the option of boiling the kettle to enjoy a quick noodle snack, consumers really enjoy convenience foods.
Since the 1950s, convenience foods have become a familiar presence on supermarket shelves across the world.
Beginning life as humble TV dinners, an increasing variety of foods have been repurposed into a convenient format, from the microwave meals of the 1970s and 1980s to the pre-prepared microwavable burgers and kebabs of the 1990s and 2000s.
Today, convenience foods have evolved to take into account changes in consumer tastes, with a broad-range of plant-based convenience foods now available.
But, just as convenience foods have evolved, so too has their packaging.
Convenience food packaging trends
Good quality packaging is a crucially important part of convenience food. Not only does the packaging have to keep the food fresh, but it also has to protect it during transport to supermarkets, shelf storage and transfer to the home.
That’s not all. Consumer tastes are continually changing, meaning that packaging also has to change. Below, you’ll find some of the most notable convenience food packaging trends of late.
Easy-open features
Convenience food isn’t convenient if it’s difficult to open.
That’s why packaging manufacturers are increasingly creating packaging solutions that put easy-open features front and centre such as grip tabs, peelable tab openers, seal reclosable poly bags, zip seal reclosable poly bags, fold and adhesive poly bags, and more.
Recyclable materials
Governments across the world are setting sustainability targets for packaging. For example, the European Union plastics strategy has determined that all plastic packaging should be recyclable or reusable by 2030.
As a result, packaging designers are increasingly turning to the use of recyclable materials in their packaging solutions, particularly low-density polypropylene (LDPE) and high-density polypropylene (HDPE).
Product visibility
Convenience food retailers increasingly want ready meals packaged with an incredibly clear top web film. This is so the quality of the food is clearly visible to consumers.
Simon Chappell of convenience food packaging manufacturer DuPont Teijin Films, cites Marks & Spencer as being a leading example of this trend, with the retailer keen to use clear packaging that helps consumers make easier selections.
What types of convenience food packaging are there?
With such a broad array of convenience foods on offer these days, it’s no surprise that there are a range of different packaging solutions in use. Some of the most common types of convenience food packaging are detailed below.
Flexible top web films
Many convenience foods – especially ready meals which sit within plastic trays – require flexible lidding films that have resistance to oils, vinegars and spices in order to prevent seal layer degradation, or delamination.
These top web lidding films have characteristics such as hot tack strength and low temperature seal initiation, allowing for high-speed packing operations.
Base web films
Base web films have become an integral part of convenience food packaging. Think of a microwaveable ready meal, and it almost certainly will be packaged using a base web film.
With such a large variety of convenience foods now on offer to the consumer, there are an array of base web films in use, including PET, PVC, PP, and PS plastic films.
Doypacks
One of the most recent convenience food packaging trends is the use of doypacks.
Not only do doypacks help a convenience food to stand out on supermarket shelves, but they can also incorporate easy-open features such as zip-locks or perforated tears.
Given the increasing adoption of doypacks by many convenience food processors, doypacks are becoming available with a number of barrier options and layer laminate options.
What machine knives are used for convenience food packaging?
As you can see, there are a broad range of packaging types used for convenience food – ranging from base web films and top web films through to doypacks and more.
If you’re going to be handling these types of packaging, then you’re going to want the correct machine knives for the job.
The key knives for convenience food packaging are:
Tray knives
Tray knives are those machine blades that are used to cut the films that are most commonly used in convenience food packaging.
They can also be used to cut a variety of films and plastics, making them ideal for a broad range of packaging-related cuts.
When you select tray knives from a manufacturer such as ourselves, you can select tray knives with a variety of coatings, including T.i.N, Teflon, InfinitEdge®, and more.
Vertical bagger knives
Used with vertical form fill seal machines, vertical bagger knives are attached to a heat press and are used to cut tube-like pouches once they’ve been filled with a product and sealed.
Like many other types of machine knives, vertical bagger knives are manufactured from stainless steel and must provide consistent, high-quality cuts at speed. Failure to do so can lead to quality issues with the pouch packaging.
Where is the best place to buy machine knives for convenience food packaging operations?
When you’re selecting blades for your convenience food packaging operations, any old blade won’t do.
Ensure you buy the very best machine blades by buying them from MRMK.
We’re setting a new standard in machine knife manufacturing, creating OEM quality blades at a fraction of the cost.
Our machine blades for convenience food packaging are:
- Designed by experts, with in-depth knowledge of the convenience food industry.
- Manufactured from the highest-quality materials and coatings.
- Designed in collaboration with you, to tight deadlines.
- Inspected by a team of dedicated quality assurance experts.
So, if you’re looking for the very best machine knives for your convenience food packaging operations, speak to the MRMK team today. Our team will be happy to provide you with advice and guidance on the types of blades that’ll work best for your operations.
Explore MRMK’s machine knives for convenience food packaging now
For more machine knife buying guides, advice and information, read the MRMK News and Insights Hub…
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