Taking advantage of this opportunity can help convenience and fast food producers to grow product lines, attract new customers and maximise profits.
The Multivac range of packaging machines suit all sizes and quantities of convenience products and snacks. Whether it’s ready-made meals, individual dinners, fast foods or snacks, Multivac’s machines offers ‘better packaging’, Alex maintains.
‘Multivac supplies more than just a machine. We provide a comprehensive packaging solution – innovative, technologically first-rate and tailored to products and requirements,’ he explains.
‘With our experienced consultants and technicians, we’re available to help tailor a package solution. We also have an extensive service and sales network and unbeatable after-sales advice. This guarantees maximum availability of a Multivac system throughout its long service life,’ he adds.
Packaging healthy options
Today’s consumers are trying to strike a balance between convenience and healthy eating. Food producers can meet the requirements of health-conscious consumers by controlling portion size and creating packs that help them keep track of kilojoules and other nutrition information.
Another trend is towards individually-wrapped serving sizes provide to provide a convenient and healthy snack option.
These various consumer demands can be met by using fl exible and rigid thermoformed packaging. Rather than filling preformed bags or packs, a manufacturer can use one machine to create packs of varying shapes and sizes. Each product can have a specifically-designed pack.
But no matter how convenient or healthy it may be, convenience food has to be noticed on crowded retail shelves; and in the face of increased competition, products need strong differentiation.
Automated rollstock packaging machines give food producers the fl exibility to customise the shape and appearance of a pack.
In such systems, roll-fed fl exible and semi-rigid film is heated and stamped to form a tray into which the product is loaded. Labels are fixed to a top web of film with a high degree of accuracy or a printed top web can be used, and the film that is applied and heat-sealed to form a vacuum pack. The pack is then automatically cut to precise specifications for the retail shelf.
Another way to improve presentation, ensure freshness and extend shelf life is to use modified atmosphere packaging (MAP); and all of Multivac’s rollstock thermoform systems, its automatic and semi-automatic traysealers and vacuum chamber systems have MAP capabilities. ‘Processors can even thermoform a custom-shaped resealable pack in-line with a modified atmosphere. No matter what the needs and goals, there’s a packaging system that can be adapted to meet the objective,’ Alex explains.
‘New packaging trends can help food producers build brand identity and grow sales. Well-designed packages add value to products by offering convenient features and healthful options. The right packaging preserves the food’s properties while engaging consumers,’ Alex concludes.
