Coveris Group launches a range of paper-based take-away hot food packaging

Coveris Group has launched a range of paper-based takeaway hot food packaging to meet the growing demand for hot food, and hopes to reduce waste and promote sustainability through its recyclable "heat and eat" products.

The company cited MealTrak research saying that the UK takeaway food industry is bigger than ever before, after the COVID-19 pandemic caused sales to fall 66% year-on-year six weeks after the first lockdown in the UK. Coveris Group also highlighted Kantar statistics that showed that UK takeaway food sales increased by 20.8% last year, adding that according to IGD data, the UK takeaway food market sales will reach £29.1 billion by 2028.

Coveris Group claims that the hot food sector is "one of the biggest opportunities" in takeaway food due to consumer preferences for premiumization, trial, convenience, increased emissions and greater value; retailers such as Pret a Manger, Greggs and Morrisons are investing heavily in hot food infrastructure.

Coveris Group says its HEAT packaging range is designed to support these consumer trends, with environmentally friendly barrier coatings that meet market demands for sustainability, recyclability and waste reduction. The "double oven" printed board enables hot food products such as pastries, wraps, potato wedges, meat sauce, pasta and pizza to be cooked in the packaging, sold in the packaging, and then eaten in the packaging as a warming solution.

In order to achieve the goal of reducing the use of plastic and protecting the environment, these packages have recyclable, good insulation and food protection functions, and provide a fully enclosed folding board solution without the need for additional packaging.

The packaging was recently launched on Rollover chicken nuggets and jalapeño cheese popcorn and is currently sold in convenience stores and hot food counters across the country.

Back in April this year, Westpak launched HeatWave packaging, which is designed to increase the heat retention of takeout pizza by more than 20%. Westpak said that HeatWave packaging is designed as a liner that fits into existing standardized paperboard pizza boxes.