United Kingdom food packaging company Sealed Air has developed a fresh fruit storage method designed to allow easier produce washing, drainage and resealing.

Photo: Sealed Air

Mark Byrne, the U.K. and European general sales manager at Sealed Air, explained the function of "Wash and Eat" packaging as an alternative for retailers and the food service industry.

"The concept was basically to be able to hold fresh fruit, like grapes, berries, anything you would really want to wash, for eating on the go," he said.

"For example, most containers would be film sealed, so once you broke the seal, you really have nowhere to reseal it," he said.

The packaging, launched in August, keeps fresh fruit safe in polyethylene terephthalate plastic and allows easy rinsing through the perforated lid. Water enters the cup to clean the fruit and drains through air vents.

"I think it’s more down to convenience and the fact that we do find, one, people want clean, fresh fruits, which the grower is obviously selling these fruits and products as fresh as they can. They can be cleaned and literally put back on, so you’ve got a reusable container if you haven’t finished the product," Byrne said.

"The second thing from our point of view, we can do a great color print. We can actually brand the merchandise in there, make it more appealing to the consumer."

So far, Byrne said two fresh fruit companies in the U.K. are using the packaging, available directly through Sealed Air or certain distributors.

www.freshfruitportal.com