FDBusiness.com

RAP’s pioneering Modified Atmosphere (MA) carton packaging has been held in the highest esteem after being awarded the coveted 2016 “Food Packaging Association (FPA) Sustainability Award”.

Central to the company’s ‘Fresher Thinking’ campaign, the MA technology has been adopted throughout a number of RAP products to help keep food fresher for longer, therefore reducing waste and saving money.

RAP’s MA carton packaging solutions are hermetically sealed, enabling gas flushing – thanks to a pioneering barrier film. This technological revolution is ideal for retailers who require a much longer shelf life, as the MA carton technology achieves a residual 02 of less than 5% inside the packaging to extend the life of the product.

Graham William, CEO of RAP comments “With its ability to help maintain a responsible and sustainable food system, our MA carton technology represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in fresh food packaging in recent years.”

The FPA judges, who referred to the technology as a ‘critical innovation’ with ‘meaningful, long-term impact’, were particularly impressed that the MA Carton Wedge had increased a single client’s annual sales by 30 per cent due to an increase in shelf life.

A carton dayfresh sandwich wedge and freshpack carton sandwich wedge (non-hermetic) only have a maximum P plus 3-4 days shelf life. In comparison the MA Carton Sandwich Wedge will, as a minimum, double this and, depending on ingredients in the chill chain, extend shelf life up to 28 days.

Julian Money, Founder of RAP comments “The MA carton technology can optimise shelf life and reduce food waste. As a result our customers are able to benefit from a significant transformation within their businesses, whilst at the same time boosting their own sustainability credentials.”

The MA carton technology is available across the following RAP products:

• Carton Sandwich Wedge
• Carton Food Tray
• Softpack
• BagRAP

The FPA award win follows a number of recent successes for RAP which have included the ground-breaking HotRap™ solution picking up a ‘Gold Excellence Award’ at Pro2Pac and ‘Best Unique Packaging Solution’ in the Café Quality Food and Drink Awards.

RAP has also been a finalist for a raft of other awards. These include ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the UK Packaging Awards 2015 for BagRap™ and ‘New Sandwich Product of the Year’ at the Sammies for the Modified Atmosphere (MA) Carton Wedge™.

Graham Williams adds “Over the last 12 months we’ve invested heavily to develop new features that add value for both brands and consumers by transforming product performance, reducing packaging costs and extending shelf life. The end result is tried and tested solutions that are not only award-winning, but also continues to push boundaries and deliver a significant transformation for some of Europe’s most well-known retailers, coffee shops and food-to-go outlets.”