UK-based food ingredients supplier Sleaford Quality Foods is seeking a greener future with new packaging products.
Image: Sleaford Quality Foods managing director James Arnold. Photo: courtesy of Sleaford Quality Foods.
The company is set to trial a new range of recyclable packaging products that will further cement its reputation in environmentally-friendly food provision.
Sleaford said it is accelerating its efforts as over usage of plastic is damaging the environment.
Sleaford Quality Foods managing director James Arnold said the company is constantly challenging its supplier and clients to step up their efforts to reduce plastic usage, and have recently held negotiations with a firm that is developing a fully compostable bio-plastic.
In August, a new 2 ply paper bag with a polyethylene (PE) coating will be trailed by the eco-conscious family business.
The bag features two new product lines and a small percentage of PE coating that is classed as fully recyclable.
Sleaford is planning to use the bag to package its entire product range in the long term.
The company is also seeking to develop a series of recyclable laminates and pouches made from a mono-layer plastic, which will enable them to be processed via a recycling loop.
The packaging of the company’s Chef William range is due to undergo an eco-friendly revamp.
The Chef William range features soups, herbs and spices, canned fruit and vegetables and ingredients like pasta and rice.
At present, the Chef William’s seasoning range is packed in pots made from the recyclable material PET, with lids of polypropylene.
However, several recycling sorting stations are not able to identify the lids because of their black colour.
The company said it will stop the usage of lids featuring carbon black in favour of alternative colours for identifying them in the recycling loop.
Arnold said: “We’re finding that most of the companies we deal with now are very open to greener packaging solutions – this is something we will continue to push on with as we expand and take on new supplier and clients.”