produits de la mer - n°200 - Avril-mai 2020 - 24

News ❘ IN-DEPTH

Has packaging become superfluous?
In the eye of the storm, plastic packaging manufacturers
are honing the sales pitch they deliver to their customers.
In February, Sealed Air organized an event in Milan
on the issue of seafood product packaging.

Lia Diliberto, in
charge of chain
stores in Italy,
in the Milan
showroom.

Only 9% of plastic
is recycled.

fragile product, but also extension of shelflife, and convenience for logistics and consumption. It is even in line with the trend
of the «clean label» concept, by making
it possible to reduce additives and preservatives. "Films and trays are not single-use plastics, but essential food protection with high added value," continues
Kai Oltmann, Marketing general manager, while admitting there is a problem of
waste collection although opportunities to
create a circular economy are real. If complex barrier films are not recyclable, there
is an increasing potential for associations
with rigid, recyclable or recycled monomaterials. Suppliers have been committed to eco-design for 15 years, with significant reductions in film thickness, down to
20 microns. Another argument is the fight

e need to prove that packaging is
not just redundant and that reducing the use of plastic is not enough." With
these words, Gonzalo Campos, seafood
marketing manager at Sealed Air opened
the day dedicated to «seacuterie» in his
recent Packforum in Milan. "The customers' relationship to proteins is changing
and seafood products have a card to play,"
he said, "especially regarding snacking.
Sushi and salmon have paved the way by
diversifying the moments of the day they
are consumed."
At the same time, new expectations are
emerging, particularly in e-commerce. "We
noticed a lot of shopping was done on the
net, including for fresh products. The
growth of in-store catering should also be
promoted." These are all parameters which
are boosting the market for convenience
products (ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat)
throughout Europe and favour a form of
snacking which has regained a little bit of
prestige. In other words, the point is not
to gulp down junk food in the blink of
an eye, but quite the reverse, elaborate,
even sophisticated products which combine sustainable production and organoleptic quality. Packaging, with its technical
function, participates in these developments, offering both the protection of a

against food waste. In the chain between
production and consumption, skin packaging, one of the strong points of Sealed
Air's development, seems to permit the
reduction of losses. This technology also
offers the advantage of permitting a wide
range of marketing arguments: transparency, printing... Here, the product can be
customized to become attractive.
The visit to the showroom in Milan is
significant: cephalopods to be reheated,
cooking in tinfoil, sushi trays... The highlight being the vending machine in
"fresh". A "fillet + vegetables" portion,
under skin and "easy peel" to be put in
the microwave. Sealed Air is associated
with equipment manufacturers to offer
global solutions.
Dominique GUILLOT

[ Exemples ]

❘ 24 ❘

LUCA DORIA
Fiorital (Italy)

PAULINA JARMUSZKA
Sushi Factory (Poland)

ANA PADIN
Profand (Spain)

"We had launched under-skin
ranges in the 1990s, but it was
a failure. The market has now
evolved and skin-packaging is
now at the crossroads of consumer
and chain store demands. It offers
aesthetics and transparency, as well
as food safety and convenience."

"Our ready-to-eat Asian products,
made in a highly-automated factory,
are in keeping with many trends:
certification, recycling... We produce
one million trays per month for chain
stores, with a 10-day shelf life, thanks
to the modified atmosphere packaging technique and Cryovac films."

"Our company develops a wide
range of cephalopods in all forms:
frozen, refrigerated, processed... To
reduce food waste, we are using
more skin packagings which allow
cooking in the package, while
guaranteeing long shelf-life and
food safety."

PRODUITS DE LA MER N°200 APRIL-MAY 2020

produits de la mer - n°200 - Avril-mai 2020

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