Business News
HK relaunches its sliced meat range – Introducing recyclable board in cold cuts packaging
Thursday 30. September 2010 - The revamped range of cold cuts by HK Ruokatalo, one of Finland's leading food manufacturers, hit stores in September. This is the first time board trays, which can be recycled just like milk and juice cartons, are being used for sliced meat packaging.
The new cold cuts packaging is based on Stora Enso’s new Primeforma board, developed for thermoformed food packaging. The board can be used on existing packaging lines which were previously used for plastic packaging. “Stora Enso has a long tradition as a major supplier of corrugated board and packaging systems to HK Ruokatalo. As the formability of board and the coating methods have developed, new opportunities have opened up for the company to develop consumer packaging, in the future also in the meat products sector,” says Packaging Specialist Asko Koskela from HK Ruokatalo.
HK Ruokatalo operates in a sustainable manner and constantly develops its use of packaging materials to be as environmentally friendly as possible – while giving priority to product safety. Stora Enso, for its part, provides the market with fibre-based packaging solutions that are based on a renewable resource and can be recycled. Cold cuts packaging is a major new breakthrough for board.
“In autumn 2009, HK Ruokatalo decided to reduce its use of plastics in the packaging of its products by about 115 tonnes per year. The introduction of a recyclable board material was the logical next step,” says HK Ruokatalo’s Marketing Manager Kim Lindholm. “Fibre-based packaging is an interesting solution that appeals to consumers, and HK Ruokatalo actively follows up on its development. In addition to environmental aspects, fibre also has the advantage of offering a more pleasing feel compared to plastic.”
A fast development project
The new board tray is used for HK’s 100 g cold cuts packages. The development project was completed in two years as a joint project by HK Ruokatalo and Stora Enso. The performance of the board material on existing packaging lines was a major technical challenge. Numerous tests relating to the material, shelf life and product safety were carried out along the process. The board needs to meet all requirements for food packaging concerning food contact and hygiene. “The board’s oxygen barrier performance and smooth sealing surface ensure a long shelf-life for modified atmosphere packaged food products. On the other hand, it’s important for the consumer that the packaging is easy to open,” points out Development Engineer Tommi Kauri from Stora Enso.
In HK Ruokatalo’s process, the cold cut portions are fed from the slicing machine into board trays formed by the packaging machine. After vacuuming in the sealing chamber, the packs are filled with a protective gas mixture and sealed with a lidding film. A product information label is then attached to the packs, which are finally die-cut out of the base board.
Recyclability – a major advantage
The relaunch of sliced meats is HK’s biggest product launch this autumn. The new and improved products hit the stores in the beginning of September. Packaging is an essential part of the relaunch. The new packaging size of 100 g is welcomed by smaller households, while bringing variety and greater choice to larger families as well. The packaging is environmentally friendly, as the board tray can be recycled in the Finnish recycling scheme just like milk cartons, and only the thin lid has to be disposed of as mixed waste. The new 100 g board packaging also plays a major role in HK Ruokatalo’s advertising campaign on TV, and in stores and magazines and on the Internet.
HK Ruokatalo is one of Finland’s leading food manufacturers, with a range of meat products at the core of its offering. It belongs to the HKScan Group, a leading food manufacturer in Northern Europe.