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        Companies like Salinas, Calif.-based Naturipe Farms, which package the produce they grow, are a natural fit alongside other sustainability-focused brands. Naturipe is a farm grower and marketer of premium berries and avocados and has been an industry leader in value-added fresh, frozen produce for over 100 years. This year, the company added How2Recycle labels to its packaging to educate consumers about proper recycling practices and where to find information specific to their city.
        Naturipe has also set a goal for large North American fresh berry producers to use 100% recyclable packaging by 2025. He joins others in the industry who have made this commitment, including the California Strawberry Commission, the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), the National Berry Exporters Association (Anbury, Mexico) and members of the National Berry Initiative, among others.
       This is part of the company’s ongoing series of developments, which began in 2014 when it was one of the first to revolutionize packaging by replacing clamshell packaging with thermoforms sealed with thermal film.
       It’s an innovation that’s changing the berry category: not only is eliminating hard plastic lids a huge benefit for reducing plastic use, with 33% less plastic per packaging, but the thermoformed parts are made from recycled PET.
        Naturipe uses heat sealing technology for its range of value-added fresh products. The latest example of the latter is the rebranding of the original Naturipe snack line to Boost Bentos in June, which includes the new Bliss Bentos dessert line. The modern look and appeal of printed film labels is evident in a wide range of delicious and healthy snacks.
        The biggest advantage of film sealed containers is their environmental friendliness. For example, replacing fold-flat packaging for food service establishments can remove nearly 550 pounds of plastic from the waste stream each week.
        Last year, Naturipe increased its heat sealing program by 400%, removing 24 tons of plastic from packaging. The company now hopes to eliminate 48 tons of plastic in 2020, double last year’s figure.
        “These initiatives are progress toward our goal of increasing sustainability from farm to fork,” said CarrieAnn Arias, vice president of marketing for Naturipe Farms. “We are also committed to educating and encouraging consumers to do their part by recycling clamshells. Share the power.” “
        Janice McIntosh, director of marketing innovation and sustainability, is credited with introducing heat-sealable packaging to the berry category. “Naturipe Farms and our family of farmers have made it a priority to reduce our environmental impact in all areas of the business, especially in reducing packaging and recycling. Since joining Naturipe, my top priority has been to focus on reducing our environmental impact rather than not not only as a company, but also as an industry.”
        “Over the last two years, we have seen a huge increase in the use of heat-sealable packaging in the berry industry,” McIntosh told Plastics Today. She answers the rest of our questions in this Q&A.
        McIntosh: In April 2013, Costco Canada contacted us about heat sealing our fresh blueberries. Although heat sealing is growing rapidly in the UK, it is a new concept to the US berry industry.
        McIntosh: After a year of development, we packaged our first batch of sealed berries in the spring of 2014 at four major growing locations in California, Georgia, Michigan and British Columbia. One of the biggest challenges we faced early on was finding small baskets that could be used throughout the supply chain.
        [Editor's Note: Small baskets are thermoformed plastic containers with vent/drainage holes for the berries, which for simplicity we will call thermoformed. ]
        Since this type of package does not exist in the United States, we looked to Europe for options. We quickly realized that since Europe uses a slightly smaller pallet area for shipping, all thermoformed parts are also smaller. By redesigning the box and tray, we were able to overcome the challenges and launch in two sizes in the first year. Building on the lessons learned from the first year, we worked with our suppliers over the next 12 months to develop two new thermoforms that not only fit our US cartons and pallets, but also have the necessary capabilities to perform venting and fold-flat packaging functions .
        We keep our thermoformed containers the same size as our clamshells, so we don’t have to reconfigure our shipping hubs or our customers’ operations. It also allows us to switch between the two packages as needed.
        Additionally, moving from a traditional blueberry packaging line to a more complex heat sealing line that requires proper training is a challenge. Heat sealers require 24/7 monitoring, regular cleaning, and technicians who know how to troubleshoot problems and make quick adjustments. Mechanically, heat sealing equipment increases the required area, but can be easily installed into existing production lines. Changeovers are easy and quick, depending on the machine manufacturer. These machines are expensive, but when properly maintained they are very reliable. Successful heat seal packaging requires good quality and uniform packaging materials.
        There have been and continue to be challenges, the biggest being the cost of equipment and the fact that blueberries are seasonal and last 8-10 weeks in any given location. For example, we harvest in early spring in Florida and California, and by September we harvest in British Columbia. Heat sealing equipment is not easy to move, and unless you use it 24/7, the payback period for your equipment may take years rather than months.
        McIntosh: We originally had three production lines in the US, with two machines running seasonally. Today, our production line capacity has quadrupled, with several stationary machines running seven days a week.
        McIntosh: The growth of this product over the last two years has been tremendous. Our value-added fresh produce line has grown from 2 SKUs in 2014 to 12 fresh produce SKUs and is approaching 20. When you go from clamshell to heat seal thermoforming, you can reduce the amount of plastic you use by 50%. Adding a layer of film adds some plastic backing, giving us a net reduction of 33%.
        In terms of returns, we haven’t seen any returns yet. In fact, the costs associated with this process are much higher, which is why heat sealable thermoform packaging costs are higher than traditional clamshell packaging.
       This is largely due to the fact that fresh berry production is seasonal and involves various dispersed locations, making it virtually impossible to have a centralized packing location year-round.
       McIntosh: Our progress in 2014 would never have been possible without the support of pallet sealing equipment suppliers ProSeal America, Accolade, MasterPack Spa, Infia and Pennsylvania Pack (acquired by Sonoco in 2017).
        Additionally, we are grateful to Costco employees for their support and patience during the development process. Today, for companies looking to get into heat sealing, more packaging options, better film structure and improved thermoforming processes are helping advance the technology. It’s hard to be the first to develop a product, but heat sealing has always been an important area for us and the industry from a sustainability perspective.
        McIntosh: We tested the film. Our blueberries come in two boxes, so the wrap really needs to be strong. Most importantly, we need technology to clean and reseal larger packages so consumers can open and close berry packages up to 25 times.
        McIntosh: Each of our heat sealable packaging comes with a How2Recycle label, which clearly informs consumers how to recycle the packaging. In addition, we are calling for a 33% reduction in plastic use.
        McIntosh: Fold-flat packaging (shown below) is still the standard packaging in the industry and will likely remain so for the near future as attempting to heat seal locally packaged produce such as strawberries is more complex and significantly less costly. higher cost.
       So we’re moving toward “washable” labels that can be removed from containers to increase the recyclability of flip-top caps, making them similar to the film labels on water bottles.
        McIntosh: A few years ago, I went on a mission to find out why our flip phones weren’t being recycled. During my research, I discovered a recycling company called rplanetearth that was building a new recycling plant in Vernon, California.
        My boss and I flew to Los Angeles, spent a day learning about recycling, and left with an understanding of why paper labels should be thrown away. We then visited a local Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to confirm the true location of the clam shell and decided we needed to restore it.
       One thing led to another, and earlier this year the berry industry jointly announced that the entire industry would switch entirely to washable biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) labels by 2025.
        McIntosh: The expansion of heat sealing technology into our fresh food and value-added foodservice products is a positive outcome for Naturipe. The downside is that lead times for packaging components, especially films, can take weeks rather than days, so our ordering process will need to be adjusted to avoid the added cost of air freighting materials.
        McIntosh: Our heat seal packaging has an excellent history of sustainability. Thermoformed rPET plastic uses less plastic than standard clamshell plastic and is easily recyclable. Most retailers have plastic sustainability initiatives that fit well into their plans.
        McIntosh: We know that consumers buy berries with their eyes, so it’s important that our packaging remains transparent. In addition, plastic not only improves the quality of berries, but also significantly reduces food waste. In the near future, our recyclable packaging will be made from PET. It is the number one recyclable plastic in the world, and with recycling facilities like Planetearth that can process all shapes and sizes, we believe our packaging can successfully become part of a closed loop system.
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