Extended Shelf-Life

Extended Shelf-Life

These printed extended shelf-life films are laser-micro perforated with anti-mist properties. They offer extended shelf-life for salads, herbs, fruit and other fresh produce. These films have been developed by TCL to display products at their best and maintain maximum freshness.

TCL carries out extensive testing of foodstuffs for customers to determine exact respiration rates and match microperforation processes to the end product. We work with leading industry testing bodies using highly-scientific methods and real test data to establish gas transmission rates. We then recommend the appropriate printed film for the application including the size, amount and patterning of micro perforations to ensure optimum packaging performance.

Extended shelf-life films for McDonald’s

McDonalds lettuce bags with extended shelf life films developed by TCL Packaging
TCL has led a technical team that developed a packaging film to meet strict criteria demanded of chopped lettuce packers supplying McDonald’s.

The objective, driven by McDonald’s environmental policy, was to find a suitable alternative to traditional PET/PE laminate films but continue to meet the strict conditions for keeping iceberg lettuce fresh and ensuring packs are easy to open. The ability to improve packing speeds was also a requirement for the lettuce packers to meet demand.

Part of the development work involved a number of subtle chemical changes and many trials of the extended shelf-life film properties through the extrusion process to create a film that meets the technical requirements. The outcome is a new clear, recyclable, mono-layer PE-based material with easy peel properties. The film runs successfully at speed without any temperature issues.

Slitting the new film requires specialist conversion expertise which was handled at TCL’s production facility in Telford.

The resulting film meets all the requirements of the McDonald’s supply chain and the brand’s commitment to renewable and recyclable packaging. Interest is already being expressed for this new product from lettuce and salad packers in a number of European countries.

OTR technical formula developed in conjunction with RAPRA to ensure optimum performance and maximum freshness

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