Two businesses develop the future of food packaging

Northern Ireland firm, Moy Park are currently focussed on developing new and innovative packaging solutions to meet the needs of their retail and own brand customers.

Highlighting the need for innovation and protecting the environment, Matt Harris from Moy Park said: “We are working in a fast-paced and ever changing environment where there is a need for quick evaluation of our customer needs and implementation of robust packing solutions.

“Our developing relationship with CAFRE is supporting our ambition to use objective and consistent test methods, speed up our test results and ultimately help us deliver packaging solutions faster to the marketplace.”

Across the Food and Drink sector there is a significant drive for businesses to meet their own packaging and plastic reduction commitments and those of their retail customers.

Commonly these focus around removing excessive packaging, reducing plastic and increasing the inclusion of post-consumer recyclate.

This means that any down gauged or lighter packages needs to be designed to ensure that the consumer still receives the product in excellent condition.

“This is where the CAFRE packaging team have been invaluable in helping us with their Distribution Simulation System in their Packaging Centre,” continued Matt.

Ron Gardner, is the Senior Packaging Technologist at The Packaging Centre based at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus.

The centre is unique to Northern Ireland and the Distribution Simulation System is just one of many tests that are completed to help industry clients.

Ron explained: “CAFRE’s Packaging Centre is just 25 miles from the Moy Park Technical Centre, so it’s logical that Moy Park have recognised the benefit of having a fully equipped packaging test facility on their doorstep.”

Moy Park has a team of PiABC (Packaging Industry Awarding Body Company) qualified Technologists including CAFRE graduate, Paul Linden.

Paul has been using innovative oxygen transmission testing equipment with CAFRE. By using this equipment, it has been possible to rapidly test new packaging using accepted and calibrated standards.

Paul added: “This relationship is a superb example of how industry and CAFRE can collaborate on real and practical Industrial solutions.”

Invest Northern Ireland along with CAFRE are running a series of sustainable packaging webinars entitled The Future of Food Packaging.

The next webinar event is on the March 25.

For more information and enrolment details on this webinar, visit https://www.investni.com/northern-ireland-business-events.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you