Dineamic, an Australian ready meal provider, is moving from plastic to eco-cardboard packaging for its tray meals, to be sold at Coles and IGA starting this week.
Available in Australia for the first time, the Halopack was developed and is produced by Dutch company Packable. It consists of a cardboard tray, sealed with a plastic film on top.
The new packs use 92 per cent less plastic than Dineamic's previous plastic tray and lid, saving 20 tonnes of plastic per year, according to the company.
Dineamic CEO Michael Starke told Food & Drink Business stablemate PKN the pack can keep food fresher for longer, as it's filled using modified atmosphere packaging technology.
Starke said the Halopack board is made from 70 per cent recycled board, and 30 per cent virgin board, which is sourced via an FSC-certified supply chain in Europe.
“Doing business in a way that’s better for the planet is something our team lives and breathes, and from close connection with our customers, we know it’s something they care deeply about too,” he said.
“It’s our aim to provide nutritious meals that make Australians healthier, and doing it in a way that helps every person or place along the way – by choosing locally sourced food, cooking to order to minimise waste, operating out of a 100 per cent carbon neutral kitchen and now switching to eco packaging that will cut at least two tonnes of plastic a year.”
While Dineamic presently sea-freights the packs from Europe for filling in its Melbourne facility, Starke said there are plans to bring pack production to Australia.
“We’re working with a company here to bring the pack manufacturing to Melbourne; we expect to be making the packs here within six months,” Starke said.
Making them here will improve the environmental footprint even more.”
For consumers, using the new eco packaging is simple. Once the meal has been eaten, consumers will peel the thin film, separating it from the cardboard tray. The tray can then be placed in a recycling bin and the film is placed in soft plastics (if accessible) or waste.
Starke said the Dineamic team was coping with the changes that the pandemic has brought.
“It’s keeping us sane working on innovation at this time,” he said. “Even in the face of adversity, we need to forge ahead with innovation.”
He said the new pack is an important step towards meeting Dineamic’s sustainability goals
