Application of Tray Packaging in the Meal Kit Industry. Part 1

We live in an era of convenience and fast solutions. The typical millennial consumer of today needs meal prep to be simplified while staying health conscious. Ordering a pizza for dinner is no longer the one-fits-all solution it used to be in the last decade.

Consumer preferences are evolving, and so is how food is packaged and sold. Eating a healthy, balanced diet while juggling a career and home is challenging to say the least. Add different dietary restrictions and preferences, and you’ve got a booming business idea. Readymade meal kits!

Consumers between the ages 25 and 44 are the biggest market for meal kits.  Meaning you need to get in on the meal kit business and fast. But with so many packaging choices out there, it can be hard to narrow down your options.

Tray packaging has been receiving a lot of attention lately, and for good reason. It can easily be altered to package diverse foods and ingredients while keeping costs down. Here, we’ve discussed the role tray packaging plays within the meal prep business:

Why Does Packaging Matter?

The main role of packaging of any kind is to deliver your product to your consumer in optimal condition. The ‘right packaging’ will differ depending on the type of product you are selling and the time frame it’s been packaged for.

Imagine hurrying home, anticipating having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. You have the ingredients, and everything is good to go. A suspicious odor hits your nose as you open the can of sauce. The can was dented, spoiling the sauce and, along with it, your dinner.

Packaging fails like these aren't new to any of us. That’s precisely why packaging is so crucial to the consumer experience you offer through your products. Different ingredients have different storage needs. Packaging is vital in extending your product's shelf life and protecting your brand image.

Understanding Meal Kit Packaging

Less preparation time, no need to measure each ingredient, and cost-effectiveness are some of the reasons meal kits are becoming so popular. Not having all ingredients on hand is one of the top reasons we don’t cook at home as often as we want to. Meal kits remedy this problem by measuring out and packaging each item needed to prepare a meal.

But this business model comes with challenges of its own. Meal kits are not as simple as throwing the ingredients of a recipe into a box. Packaging multiple ingredients together can be tricky. That makes the role of appropriate packaging even more pivotal for meal kits.

Meal kit packaging can be divided into these two main categories:

Outer Packaging

External packaging keeps all the different sachets and packets together and is printed with cooking instructions, best by date, and a list of ingredients. Outer packaging becomes even more critical if you run a mail-order meal kit business.

Inner Packaging

Inner packaging of a meal kit can be a selection of trays, small containers, or sachets. Individual ingredients are kept separate by inner packaging. Some meal kits contain a mix of sachets [for seasonings] and containers [for sauces or pre-cut vegetables].

To understand how tray packaging can be applied in the meal kit industry, it’s essential first to understand the two business models within the industry. There are two main types of meal kits in the market these days:

Off the Shelf

These meal kits are available on supermarket or specialty store shelves. Some restaurants also offer meal kits so you can enjoy your favorite dishes at home or on the go. Packaging is less bulky for these kits as they are stored in refrigerated units.

Some kits are designed to last longer on shelves and don’t include fresh produce or meats. This meal kit usually includes canned, freeze-dried, or shrink-wrapped edibles.

Pre-ordered

Meal kits started as a mail-order or online-order service. Customers would subscribe for a few trail meals; then, the subscription would be on a weekly or monthly bases. Companies shipped the meal kits in bulky corrugated boxes containing smaller packets of ingredients.

This business model relies on delivery companies to ship their products. Adhering to local food safety standards can be challenging when the transit time is so long. Hence most companies use ice packs to ensure that the temperature of the food is maintained throughout the supply chain. 

This type of business model is facing one major issue: the large amounts of packaging material needed to safely get these meal kits from factories to consumer homes. 

How Tray Packaging Makes Meal Kits More Sustainable

Maintaining the balance between sustainable packaging and keeping food safety a priority can be simplified by using tray packaging. Reducing the carbon footprint of your meal kits is not just better for the environment. It’s a consumer preference your customer is willing to pay a higher price for. Getting in on this trend can help you carve out your niche and make your brand stand out in the meal kit industry.

Many consumers steer clear of pre-packaged edibles because of the waste it generates. Meal kits can be an exception. Your brand can help reduce both organic and plastic waste by using tray packaging to keep meal kits secure. Eco-friendly products can help you magnetize new customers and retain old ones.

Meal kits already offer a solution to the more significant food-waste problem in the western world. By sectioning ingredients in exact proportions, they minimize the wastage of excess ingredients. Tray packaging can further elevate these sustainability efforts by packaging all ingredients in the same container while keeping them separate.

Take fajita kits, for example.

Pre-cooked tortillas can be shrink-wrapped and placed in one section of the tray. The sauces, protein, and seasoning can go into separate sections. The tray can then be blister-packed and sealed using heat and shrink packaging.

The compact nature of food trays means less packaging is used to keep all items separate, secure, and leak-proof.

Intrigued in Learning More About Tray Packaging?

Tray packaging can elevate your meal kit business in multiple ways. But to leverage all these benefits for your brand, you need the right packaging machinery. Blueprint Automation is dedicated to simplifying and automating food packaging. 

Give us a call now to see how tray packaging machines can help make your product more sustainable and profitable.