GEA FoodTray

Providing the ever-growing global population with fresh food only works with safe packaging. The problem also is that the continuously growing resource consumption must be stopped. Therefore the German Packaging Act increased the recycling targets for - among other things - plastic to 63% until the year 2022. This  will have wide-reaching consequences for the packaging industry. Fortunately, FoodTray is here!

The film is deep-drawn and directly attached to the inside of the box which is made from cardboard, followed by the custom MAP-Packaging operation. The result is an ecologically sustainable package with heights reaching from 20 to 60mm.

Material symbiosis

• Reducing the plastic content in packaging
• The cardboard box is exclusively made out of renewable resources and can be optimally re-used through recycling
• Plastic film is of outstanding importance for modern food packaging
• Higher stability with less material use compared to full board

Product appearance

• The printability of paperboard enables manufacturers to describe their products which require explanation through texts and photos
• FoodTray is characterized by a consumer-friendly feel and appearance
• FoodTray allows printing on the whole package
• Different printing technologies possible for differentiated product descriptions, also for smaller lot sizes

Separable disposal

• Cardboard box and foil are easy to separate and recycle
• Both materials can be processed by the appropriate disposal and recycling systems
• Plastic content in conventional packaging can be vastly reduced

• Step 1: Denesting
  Pre-manufactured cardboard boxes will be denested and automatically transferred into the forming station of the GEA PowerPak thermoformer by means of the denesting and loading unit. 
  
  
• Step 2: Forming
  Bottom flex film will be formed into the cardboard box and spot sealed to the upper area of the carton trays by means of heatable plugs. 
  
  
•  Step 3: Filling
  Products will be loaded, either fully automatic or manually. 
  
  
• Step 4: Sealing
  Packages will be evacuated, gassed and the top flex film sealed to the bottom film.

Thanks to the collaboration between GEA and SCHUR FLEXIBLES, FoodTray was developed. Together they developed this ecological and sustainable innovation for food packaging. The idea was to create a tray out of cardboard which fulfills the conditions of modern food packaging. Through further cooperation with specialists from the foil and machine-building industries, this idea could be realized. FoodTray is a package that fulfills the criteria of haptics, security, sustainability, recyclability, and industrial manufacturing.