Manufactured with EcoStar® food-safe recycled PET, Placon (www.placon.com) introduces its new Fresh ‘n Clear™ CaterEase plastic catering tray and bowl line. The black party platters, bowls and lids are crush and crack resistant and are designed to securely, attractively and sustainably present a wide assortment of foods from sandwiches, salads, fruits and veggies to desserts. The lid seals ensure product freshness and maintain the tight seal during handling and transport. 

 

The tray’s durable lid design features no sidewall ribbing for excellent product visibility, allowing food styling and product freshness to take center stage. Clean-up is made easy and earth-friendly with recyclable bowls, trays and lids manufactured with up to 100% post-consumer content from bottles and thermoforms diverted from landfills.

 

Simply Lids (www.simplylids.com) has designed a lid that lets the to-go beverage consumers have a “straight from the mug” experience without the mess. This new way of enjoying coffee on the go lets consumers experience the aroma of the coffee though the unique placement of the drinking hole and a lid that is splash resistant. 

 

“The disposable coffee lid industry has been stuck on these lids that only provide a tiny hole to drink out of that completely eliminates any type of aroma experience. Remember the famous coffee commercial where someone is holding a mug of coffee and, with eyes closed takes a deep breath in to enjoy the aroma of the coffee? That’s the exact experience that’s currently being left behind,” says John Newman, creator of Simply Lids. “Fortunately, Simply Lids is on the forefront of bringing this experience back to the on-the-go consumer. It’s like drinking from a mug but with the safety of a lid.” 

 

Simply Lids offers Simply Tab™ that easily slides open and closed to maintain temperature and avoid splashing. The drinking experience isn’t the only thing Simply Lids is focused on. Sustainability is a huge concern; especially since plastic coffee lids are blanketing landfills.

 

“Consumers on the go want to dispose of their cups when finished but don’t want to feel guilty when doing so,” says Newman. “Simply Lids currently uses recyclable materials that are enhanced by adding 30% renewable material. This added renewable material allows us to use less energy in producing our products and makes them more sustainable.”

 

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, the company behind Einstein Bros. Bagels needed a new box to hold its bagels and schmear. The company wanted a package that would make loading the box easier and more efficient so orders could be processed more quickly. Prior to the package redesign, customers would select pre-filled closed buckets of bagels and select the schmear. Store employees would open the buckets, insert a paper liner on top of the bagels, lay the packages of schmear on top and then reclose the boxes. 

 

Einstein Bros. Bagels sought help from Packaging Technology Integrated Solutions (www.ptisglobal.com), a division of Havi Global Solutions (HGS) LLC, to streamline this process. The Packaging Technology Integrated Solutions team designed a bagel bucket with unique built-in side-loading inserts intended to hold two packages of schmear. The inserts speed up operations by allowing the crew to drop the schmears directly into the side inserts of a filled bucket without having to reopen and reclose it. The new bucket also eliminated the paper liner that used to separate the tubs of schmear and the bagels. 

 

To further aid retail crews and increase efficiency, the bucket features an intuitive closure and can be pre-constructed and stacked for space savings at restaurant preparation areas. In addition, the packaging is 100% recyclable and ships flat to maximize pallet and truck space.

 

According to Earth’s Natural Alternative (ENA www.enaecogoods.com), decision makers from many schools in the greater Chicago area recently visited the company’s booth at the Illinois School Nutrition Association Annual Conference. They explained that their students are a major force driving the purchase of biodegradable tableware for their schools.  Having studied the bad environmental effects caused by Styrofoam containers, students are speaking out strongly in favor of compostable products.

 

ENA offers a high quality line of affordable, biodegradable, compostable and natural eco-friendly products. The company’s goal is to replace harmful materials such as Styrofoam with vegetable starch and plant fiber-based materials that create less waste and pollution to keep the environment clean. ENA’s line includes bowls, trays, plates, containers, cutlery, straws, cups, bags and eco-paper goods. 

 

Anchor Packaging, Inc.(www.anchorpackaging.com) announces the addition of a new 16-ounce polypropylene container and lid designed to maximize performance and minimize cost. Food looks fresh and appealing in this upscale alternative to foam and paper packages.  Sized perfectly to fit market trends for smaller portion sizes and the increased demand for finger foods and snacks, this versatile package works well for hot foods held under heat lamps, chilled ready-to-heat in the microwave items, and assorted cold food applications. 

 

The new M616 line from Anchor is made with renewable mineral additives that reduce the use of petroleum based polypropylene resin up to 40%. The strong and durable black base is resistant to grease and oils and withstands temperatures up to 230°F.

 

Clear, anti-fog polypropylene lids keep food visible to avoid errors and increase impulse sales with a leak resistant closure to prevent messy spills.  Lids stay securely in place during handling and transport and a single package for hot and cold foods reduces SKUs and inventory costs.

 

Designed for operator efficiency to package a wide variety of entrees and side dishes, the M616 is also dishwasher safe for consumer convenience and is eligible to be recycled after multiple uses. 

 

EcoTensil Inc. (www.ecotensil.com) is the maker of the award-winning and eco-friendly tasting utensils. World demand for green packaging—including recycled-content, reusable and degradable packaging—is projected to rise 5.7% per year to $212 billion in 2015 according to a new study, “World Green Packaging,” from The Freedonia Group (www.freedoniagroup.com). EcoTensil is responding to this growing trend by offering a line of incredibly consumer- and eco-friendly tasting for in-store demos, tradeshows, ice cream sampling, fast food and other to-go snacks and meals.

 

Made in the US from renewable materials, EcoTensil products use significantly less material than any other plastic or “biodegradable” utensil. They are silky smooth, like a paper soda cup, and easy to use—in just one fold each spoon becomes a sturdy, efficient utensil. EcoTasters, EcoTensil’s greenest products, are compostable, recyclable, and made from sustainably forested material (FSC), making them perfect for in-store, event, and other types of sampling. EcoTaster has become the predominant taster in many food tradeshows across the nation.