Food Processing - September 2007 - (Page 56)

GREEN PACK AGING British grocery chain Sainsbury’s has an initiative to replace conventional plastic packaging with compostable packaging. With a usage rate of 150 million trays and bags per year, that could eliminate 3,550 metric tons of plastic. “The scale was very helpful [and] extremely easy to use,” Ruiz says. As a result of using the scorecard, his company is investigating alternative package structures that are more environmentally friendly, with the goal of affecting as many packages as possible. In Europe, retailer Sainsbury’s is one year into its initiative to eliminate conventional plastic packaging from its stores. The plan includes gradually using compostable packaging in place of conventional plastic trays and bags, to the tune of 150 million trays and bags per year. Ultimately the effort will eliminate 3,550 metric tons of plastic, significantly reducing waste destined for landfills. In all, Sainsbury’s hopes to put more than 500 types of food in compostable packaging. Items include Sainsbury’s SO organic fruit and vegetables, Sainsbury’s Ready Meals, organic sausages and organic whole birds. For foods not compatible with compostable materials, such as deli salads and prepared fruit, the company uses recyclable packaging. For its compostable packaging, the company is focusing on bioplastics – polymers made from organic materials such as corn and sugarcane. Package components include trays, baskets, flow-wrap films, labels and netting. The company recently introduced Sainsbury’s SO organic baby salad potatoes packaged in a flexible, heat-sealed bag made from Amcor NaturePlus Mater-Bi vertical form-fill-seal film. The 40-micron, co-extruded film, supplied by Amcor Flexibles (www.amcor.com), Gloucester, UK, is made from renewable, non-genetically modified (non-GM) vegetable materials such as corn starch and is home compostable. The greening of plastic Several other bioplastics also are finding applications in food packaging. The most familiar is polylactic acid (PLA), which is made from corn starch. PLA is a high-clarity material that can be formed into thermoformed trays, bottles, films and labels. 56 • FOOD PROCESSING SEPTEMBER 2007 Wal-Mart switched from conventional plastic to PLA packaging for strawberries, cut fruit, brussels sprouts and herbs and says the change will prevent more than 11 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and save the equivalent of 800,000 gallons of gasoline. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (www.freshdelmonte.com), San Francisco, also uses PLA rigid containers to package cut fruit. Blue Lake Citrus Products Inc. (www.bluelakecitrus.com), Winter Haven, Fla., uses 32-oz. PLA bottles for its premium juices. All three processors use PLA supplied by NatureWorks LLC (www. natureworksllc.com), Minnetonka, Minn., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cargill Inc. PLA, which has been in commercial use for almost 20 years, is expanding beyond cups, trays and bottles. Amcor Flexibles has introduced a peelable NatureWorks PLA film for the global fresh produce market. Belgian firm Rabbit uses the film on salads packed in PLA trays. Piggy-backing on the trend toward convenience, a steamin, microwavable PLA pouch recently launched. The BioSteam PLA self-venting steamer pack, from Rockwell Solutions Ltd. (www.rockwellsolutions.com), Dundee, Scotland, is made from transparent PLA film and features easy peeling. Corn is not the only renewable resource that can be used to make bioplastics. Metabolix Inc. (www.metabolix.com), Cambridge, Mass., is conducting research into producing natural plastics from sugar cane and has already done so with switchgrass and corn sugar. Metabolix’s technology focuses on microbial fermentation to produce biodegradable plastics. Produce trays made from palm fiber have found a good fit in packaging organic produce. Four Seasons Produce Inc. (www. fsproduce.com), Ephrata, Pa., uses the trays to package a number of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, apples, cherries, onions and peppers. Four Seasons is a produce wholesaler serving the mid-Atlantic region. Earthcycle Packaging Ltd. (www.earthcycle.com), Vancouver, B.C., produces the palm fiber packaging, which is biodegradable and home-compostable. According to the supplier, it decomposes in less than 90 days in a backyard composter. In selecting the Earthcycle trays, Four Seasons knew it wanted packaging made from renewable resources. But it MORE ON ThE WEB Some web-based resources for this story include: • Wal-Mart’s Packaging Scorecard story (www.foodprocessing. com/industrynews/2006/150.html). • Georgia-Pacific’s PSO Calculator (www.read-more.us/?fp07-213). • Monadnock Paper Mills’ “A Field Guide to Eco-Friendly, Efficient, and Effective Print,” (www.read-more.us/?fp07-214). And our own Packaging Resource Center (in the left navigation index) includes 126 articles, 15 whitepapers, 74 news stories and 59 products. Or search for “packaging” or a more specific term in our search bar. WWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM http://www.freshdelmonte.com http://www.freshdelmonte.com http://www.bluelakecitrus.com http://www.natureworksllc.com http://www.natureworksllc.com http://www.rockwellsolutions.com http://www.metabolix.com http://www.fsproduce.com http://www.fsproduce.com http://www.earthcycle.com http://www.foodprocessing.com/industrynews/2006/150.html http://www.foodprocessing.com/industrynews/2006/150.html http://www.amcor.com http://www.read-more.us/?fp07-213 http://www.read-more.us/?fp07-214 http://www.foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - September 2007

Contents Editor's Plate Power Lunch NewsBites Regulatory Issues Rollout Food Biz Kids Product Spotlight Next-Generation Manufacturing Models Product Development Ingredients Packaging Show Previews New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - September 2007

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