HK Ruokatola, one of Finland’s leading food manufacturers, has revamped the packaging of its cold meat cuts using board trays, which can be recycled in the same way as milk and juice cartons. The company claims it is the first time board trays have been used for sliced meat packaging.
The new packaging is based on Stora Enso’s new Primeforma board, developed for thermoformed food packaging. The board can be used on existing packaging lines that were previously used for plastic packaging. “As the formability of board and the coating methods have developed, new opportunities have opened up for the company to develop consumer packaging,” said Packaging Specialist Asko Koskela from HK Ruokatola. The company plans to reduce its use of plastics in the packaging of its produces by about 115 tonnes/year.
The new board tray is used for HK’s 100g cold cuts packages. Developed over two years, the performance of the board material on existing packaging lines was a ‘major technical challenge’. “The board’s oxygen barrier performance and smooth sealing surface ensure a long shelf life for modified atmosphere packaging. On the other hand, it is important for the consumer that the packaging is easy to open,” points out Development Engineer of Stora Enso, Tommi Kauri.
