5 March 2015
MWV Achieves BRC 'A' Rating for SmartFare
MeadWestvaco Corporation s announced today that the new SmartFare production line at its Bristol, UK facility has received an 'A' grading by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Packaging and Packaging Materials Standard. SmartFare is an innovative and widely recyclable packaging alternative to traditional black CPET trays that enables full-scale graphic design possibilities directly on the dish or bowl. In line with the launch strategy for SmartFare, MWV has appointed Jonathan Bostock as Regional Sales Director for Europe.
BRC Global Standards is a leading safety and quality certification program and the first standard in the world to be recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI) benchmarking committee. MWV received an 'A' in the High Hygiene Category for its packaging intended to come into direct contact with high-risk products, notably food. The certification provides maximum reassurance for food processors, retailers and end users that MWV SmartFare dishes are manufactured to meet their strict conditions.
"The certification gives our customers confidence in the standardization of quality, safety and operations at the new site," said Bill Berkley Quality & Environment Manager at MWV's Bristol facility. "To achieve an 'A' grade in our first attempt is a testament to the hard work and dedication that has gone into this project, and our long-term commitment to providing the best products and services to our customers."
The purpose built, state-of-the-art SmartFare production line opened in October 2014 at MWV's existing Bristol site. Jonathan Bostock and the sales teams are actively introducing the new product to the marketplace.
"The facility is up and running and fulfilling commercial orders, in fact we reached a milestone in producing our 1 millionth SmartFare dish recently," Bostock said.
SmartFare was developed based on consumer testing and insights from a series of qualitative and quantitative consumer research studies. These studies were conducted across the UK from 2008 through 2013 with a total of 2,371 UK chilled ready meal consumers. This research provides overwhelming evidence that a switch to SmartFare will drive volume lift and increase value perceptions by delivering on key, unmet emotional and rational consumer benefits.
"Our research has consistently shown that SmartFare outperforms the current CPET tray with consumers on both emotional and rational levels," Bostock said. "We understand the demands of our customers and have made significant investments to meet those demands."
About SmartFare
SmartFare is an innovative, sustainable packaging alternative to traditional black CPET trays that enables full-scale graphic design possibilities directly on the dish or bowl. By incorporating visual cues that evoke the origin of the cuisine, SmartFare creates a better shopping experience and a more authentic dining experience. Food seems more premium and less processed which drives consumers to try and buy more chilled ready meals.
