Paper food packaging: innovative choice for sustainability and shelf-life
Eco&Food was born in 2015 out of the need and conviction to contain food in contact with pure virgin paper in order to ensure its absolute naturalness, hygiene and safety while offering truly environmentally sustainable multifunctional packaging, with the ambitious goal of becoming the true alternative solution to the use of single-use plastics in food packaging.
Eco& food’s innovative materials: ht board and grass paper
- Grass paper: contains up to 40% grass fiber and in the process of producing 1t of raw material there is a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, energy savings of up to 4500Kw/h and water savings of up to 5000L, as only 2L is needed. In addition, no chemicals are used in the production of grass fiber.
- HT Board: pure virgin paper material in direct contact with food, which can not only store but also cook and consume food in one package.
The features of ht board
- The features of Ht board
- Single-material pure cellulose paper
- Lightweight for reduced environmental impact
- Suitable for direct contact with food
- Suitable for transporting, cooking, reheating and eating food in conventional and microwave ovens
- WVTR Water Vapor Transmission Rate value
- ZERO Waste:
- Recyclable in paper LEVEL A+ according to Aticelca 501/2019 method
- Compostable and Biodegradable (Test certified EN 13432)
Shelf life: new opportunities for use
In recent decades, the focus of research has always been on finding technological solutions aimed at extending the shelf life of food. In the field of packaging, it has translated into packaging solutions that could provide moisture barrier, oxygen barrier and containment of protective atmospheres with a supposed minimization of waste.
Today, however, the combination of increasing shelf life and reducing food waste clashes with the need to use environmentally sustainable materials, and in this paper is inherently sustainable. In contrast, paper fibers are hygroscopic and do not allow any functional barrier, least of all to gases; at present any “hearsay” is only a wish for an outcome that is currently intentional and on which hundreds of companies and thousands of people are working. The above, from the perspective of packaging solutions, compulsorily translates into reduced shelf-lives.
Faced with this scenario, a trade-off must be made between a product’s shelf-life, risk of food waste and environmental impact.
Today, shelf-life extension may no longer be a target to pursue!
What about the organoleptic characteristics?
A reduced shelf-life ensures a fresh, better-tasting food and the possibility of reducing or eliminating added preservatives.
Moreover, in favor of paper, it can be said that it is absolutely suitable for use in tempering – heating – cooking
Food safety, certifications, sensory analysis
The strengths of paper packaging are directly related to food safety (paper production processes) and its characteristics: hygiene – breathability/porosity.
Witnesses in favor of food safety for paper solutions are all MOCA tests that are performed in full compliance with regulations (not only European but also Italian and French, which are much more restrictive).
The analytical tests performed, allowed for a scientific approach to study the sensory properties and the consequent affective response of consumers to certain gastronomic preparations cooked in different materials.
The results showed that cooking, reheating, and storing food in paper does NOT negatively affect ratings, but rather, in some cases the degree of preference is HIGHER.
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