By Mike Hornick
Empoli, Italy-based Irplast has introduced an adhesive tape that wraps portions of produce.
The product, dubbed Food Contact Tape, allows shippers to label and group together items like bananas and to promote their brand and information on the product.
The tape is offered as an alternative to straps and elastic bands, trays and transparent wraps. It aims to safeguard the organoleptic properties of food, according to a news release, and to decrease the quantity of secondary packaging.
Irplast adopted the British Retail Consortium standard in 2015 for the production process of its prevalent packaging tapes. Its research has involved ink manufacturers INX and SunChemical and the adhesive producer Henkel.
This tape has been declared eligible for direct contact with fruit and vegetables with peel, following an analysis by the commissioned laboratory CSI S.p.A, Milan, Italy. That analysis found no contamination or organoleptic alteration from the tape to the food product.
The tape can stick to various fruits and vegetables without leaving residue once removed, according to Irplast.
“We are dealing with a major innovative element for the fruit and vegetables market, especially in terms of increased functionality and significant environmental benefits, thanks to the decrease of secondary packaging,” Luca de Bartolo, Irplast’s chief operating officer, said in the release.
SOURCE: The Packer
