Less plastic, high-class optics,
excellent quality: OSI’s beef steaks
in innovative FlatSkin® packaging
How can meat products be packaged in Wentus Kunststoff GmbH,
a resource-saving way, without having professional in the field of
to compromise on product protection, barrier films and laminates.
hygiene and convenience? This is By joining hands, these
where the packaging industry, food three companies were
manufacturers and retailers are searching able to develop a skin pack
for new solutions, for example for self- that fulfils the demands
service meat products. Until today, it is expressed by OSI.
impossible to do without plastic, but with Marketable system with
many savings
FlatSkin® there now is an innovative
packaging method available that proves
to be more sustainable. OSI Europe,
subsidiary of the globally active OSI Group
that supplies meat products to leading
brands in food service and retail, has
opted for this novel packaging system
for its high-quality steaks. With more
than 65 production sites and 20,000
employees in 17 countries, the company
has become a pioneer in the introduction
of FlatSkin® packaging.
A major trigger for OSI to switch to
this new packaging system have
been the changing market conditions.
As Erik Schöttl, Managing Director
Foodworks Europe at OSI, explains:
“We recently see a trend towards
high-quality products, such as our dry-
aged steaks. These products need to
be packaged accordingly. At the same
time, sustainability has become a key
factor in the decision process of the
consumer. Therefore, we started looking
for a high-end packaging solution for our
premium beef steaks from around the
world, which would not only combine
maximum product safety and high-class
optics, but also convenient handling,
cost-efficiency and conservation of
resources.” The answer was FlatSkin®, a
joint development of SEALPAC, supplier
of high-tech tray-sealing technology, VG
Nicolaus GmbH, specialist in cardboard
packaging and folding cartons, and
56 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk
In the FlatSkin® process, a
highly transparent barrier
skin film fixates the product,
for example a steak,
directly onto the extremely
flat cardboard carrier
produced from bleached or unbleached
fibre, which has been coated with a
polymeric protective layer. This layer
provides stability to the cardboard and
after taking out the product, the thin
polymeric layer is easily removed from
the cardboard by means of a peel tab
to allow for separate disposal of the
cardboard carrier as paper waste, and
forms a reliable barrier against grease, both liner and skin film as plastic waste.“
moisture and oxygen. The cardboard The three participating companies put
carrier can be printed on both sides,
hence offering optimal space for product
information whilst providing unique
branding opportunities. The FlatSkin®
system combines all the benefits of skin
packaging, such as extended shelf life
and post-maturation, with a particularly
attractive product presentation. At the
same time, the system is extremely
economical and sustainable, as it
significantly reduces the amount of
plastic used and improves recyclability.
Burkhard Meyer, Sales Director at
Wentus, explains: “With this packaging
solution, compared to common plastic
skin trays, a plastic reduction of up to
75% can be achieved. The top film, which
fixates the product onto the laminated
cardboard carrier, has a thickness of
just 80 to 150 micron.” Marcel Veenstra,
Marketing & Communications Manager
at SEALPAC, adds: “The trick to FlatSkin®:
a great deal of effort into the FlatSkin®
project. Challenges included the climatic
conditions prevailing in the meat industry,
such as the high levels of humidity in
production and logistics. “If fibrous
materials, such as cardboard, absorb
moisture, the fibres start to expand,
which can cause the carrier to bend. This
is why the carriers need to have excellent
flatness. For this reason, we performed
numerous tests under cold and humid
circumstances in our own laboratory
and in SEALPAC’s Experience Centre in
Oldenburg, Germany, to ensure a smooth
packaging process and excellent optics at
all times”, explains Manfred Grupp, Sales
Manager at VG Nicolaus. By using the
optimal peel material, an excellent match
of cardboard and skin film is guaranteed,
as well as a reliable seal of the packaging.
In addition, a large-sized peel tab allows
for easy opening of the skin pack.