Packaging solutions provider Amcor and French manufacturer Cofigeo have created a new three-compartment tray for single-serve microwaveable meals.
This initiative aligns with Cofigeo’s commitment to sustainability and adheres to Design for Recycling guidelines.
The tray is constructed from lightweight monomaterial polypropylene (PP), which is compatible with France’s recycling systems.
The new trays will be used for packaging five distinct recipes from Cofigeo’s William Saurin Mon Trio Gourmand range.
The design of the tray allows for the separation of ingredients such as vegetables and meat, giving consumers the option to mix them at the time of consumption.
Cofigeo William Saurin marketing product manager Benjamin Margerand said: “The freedom to keep separate or mix the three recipe components has proved popular, and the tray is practical enough to enable consumers to eat straight from it.
“Indeed, in prelaunch testing, depending on the recipe, up to 80% of consumers said they were planning to eat directly from the tray. The colour has also been well received.”
Amcor’s design process involved close collaboration with Cofigeo to create compartments of varying sizes that accommodated the different textures and densities of the meal components.
The tray also meets several operational requirements, including compatibility with existing filling lines and user-friendliness for consumers.
The multilayer PP tray features a barrier that provides an ambient shelf life of over 12 months for the meals.
Additionally, the solution is manufactured with a near-infrared (NIR) terracotta masterbatch, enabling recognition by NIR sensors in recycling facilities.
Cofigeo Group packaging R&D manager Jean-Michel Perquin said: “This was a challenging project, especially given its shape, to make the tray as thin as possible, but thanks to the technical support of Amcor, we have managed to achieve the same wall thickness as our standard single-compartment version.”
Recently, Amcor introduced a sustainable packaging solution for Butterball’s turkey breast products. The new Perflex shrink bag includes a built-in handle, reducing the amount of packaging material used.
