Case background
With the rapid development of the food industry, the demand for safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly packaging is growing. A food manufacturer hopes to improve the packaging quality of its frozen food to ensure the safety of the product during transportation and storage, while showing a good product appearance. To this end, the company selected two different colors of PP sheets: transparent PP sheets and natural color PP sheets for the production of frozen food packaging trays.
PP sheets are ideal for food packaging due to their excellent thermoforming performance, food-grade safety standards and environmental protection characteristics. Transparent PP sheets allow consumers to see the internal food at a glance, while natural color PP sheets maintain a natural and simple appearance, which is suitable for more minimalist packaging needs.
Project challenges
During the implementation of the project, the customer raised several key challenges:
The difficulty of material selection: The customer is confused about the performance, molding effect and packaging display of two different colors of PP sheets. How to choose the right sheet while ensuring food safety has become the main problem.
Pallet durability requirements: Pallets need to have good toughness and impact resistance to cope with stress and impact during freezing, transportation and storage.
Balance between appearance and function: Although transparent pallets can display food, they may affect privacy and packaging style in some cases. Natural color pallets may not appear high-end enough. Customers hope to find a balance between the two.
Introduction to PP sheets
PP (polypropylene) sheets are widely used in food packaging due to their excellent thermoforming properties. PP sheets have the following characteristics:
Food grade safety: PP sheets are non-toxic and harmless and meet the safety standards for food contact materials.
Excellent physical properties: PP sheets have good toughness, impact resistance and heat resistance, and are suitable for freezing and high temperature environments.
Environmental protection: PP materials can be recycled and reused, which is in line with the trend of green and environmentally friendly packaging.
Diversified choices: PP sheets can be customized in different colors according to needs, and transparent and natural color PP sheets are two of the more common choices.
Comparison of two PP sheet finished pallets
In actual applications, both clear PP sheet and natural PP sheet show their respective advantages and characteristics. The comparison of finished pallets is as follows:
Natural color PP sheet pallet:
Privacy: Natural color pallets are opaque and can better protect the privacy of the packaging contents. They are suitable for occasions where food needs to be shielded, such as some ready-to-eat foods or frozen cooked products.
Economical: Compared with transparent sheets, natural color PP sheets are usually more economical in cost. For products that do not need to specifically display the appearance of food, natural color pallets are a more cost-effective choice.
Durability and practicality: Natural color pallets have the same excellent durability and are suitable for a variety of food packaging needs. Customer feedback shows that natural color pallets perform stably during transportation, and the pallets have good toughness and impact resistance.
Clear PP sheet pallet:
Visual effect: Transparent pallets can directly display the food in the package, and consumers can check the freshness and quality of the food without opening the package. This is particularly beneficial for retail display, enhancing consumers’ desire to buy.
Market appeal: Transparent pallets make the packaging look more upscale and modern, especially suitable for displaying high-quality foods, such as high-end frozen desserts, sushi, etc.
Practical application: When customers choose transparent pallets for frozen foods, they feedback that the appearance of the packaging appears more attractive, and retailers and consumers are satisfied with the visual effects of transparent pallets.
Project results and customer evaluation
After many tests and adjustments, the customer finally decided to use transparent PP pallets for high-end frozen foods with strong display, and natural color PP pallets for some ready-to-eat products with high privacy requirements. After the project was successfully completed, the customer gave high praise to the performance and finished product effects of the two pallets.
Customer feedback: Customers said that transparent pallets enhance the display effect of products on the shelves and increase the attractiveness of products. The natural color pallets well meet their needs for privacy and economy, especially in mass production and cold chain transportation.
Summary
The application of transparent PP sheet and natural color PP sheet in thermoformed food packaging pallets has its own advantages. Transparent PP sheet emphasizes visual effects and high-end display, which is suitable for foods in the market that need to highlight the appearance of products; while natural color PP sheet pays more attention to privacy protection and cost-effectiveness, and is suitable for packaging needs that do not need to display internal food. Through this project, the customer not only obtained a suitable packaging solution, but also gained more confidence in the wide application prospects of PP sheets in food packaging.
