FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Out with the can, in with the carton

Out with the can, in with the carton

Tetra Pak takes the media round its impressive headquarters in the Swedish town of Lund to show how we will be eating in the future

WITH THE global population expected to reach 8.4 billion by 2030 and consumers increasingly concerned about the constant decline in natural resources, leading Swedish packaging company Tetra Pak is promoting its advanced food innovations and packaging technologies as a sustainable solution for the future.
The company recently opened its home in Lund, Sweden for the first Inside Tetra Pak Event, inviting food manufacturers and media groups to witness how its innovative paperboard cartons can save the world from the plastic invasion and to explore the new market trends for the food industry. 

Out with the can, in with the carton

Vice president Anders Lindgren showcases an innovative Tetra Recart package that is designed to stand a retort process. 

“Younger consumers are trying to reduce environmental impacts. More than 40 per cent of consumers say they are more likely to consider brands with an environmentally sound profile,” says Laurence Mott, executive vice president of development and engineering.
“Companies everywhere are under pressure to cut their environmental footprint – above and beyond the ever-stricter regulations. So the question is how do we meet all these challenges and prepare for the future? The answer lies in understanding customer needs, focusing on sustainability, and embracing new technologies.”
Tetra Recart is highlighted as a new option for both consumers and food manufacturers. Made from paperboard laminate material, this easy-to-open carton is lightweight and ideal for containing wet products with a shelf life up to two years such as sauce, tomato paste and sweet corn. Each layer has its own specific purpose in keeping the food fresh and safe.
Different from UHT product cartons, Tetra Recart can withstand the retort process, in which both the package and its food contents are exposed to high pressure and a temperature of more than 120 degrees Celsius in a humid environment for a longer period of time. Mainly, retorting is a tough process that has traditionally been used with metal cans and glass jars. 

Out with the can, in with the carton

Ambient yoghurt mixed with some fruit is very popular in China.

“This is the first retortable carton in the world. It’s created to replace a food can, which has been used for 250 years and is already dead. There are a billion cans around the world today. It’s not a sustainable solution for the future. Tetra Recart can go into retort and is different from a can in the way it sterilises the product inside,” explains Anders Lindgren, vice president Tetra Recart.
“We have conducted some 100 research studies across the world and we found that consumers prefer this kind of carton to a can. If you take one million of these instead of one million cans you save 30,000 kilograms, while the logistics can save 40 per cent of space for other products and 85 per cent of shelf storage.”
E-commerce is growing fast and the millennial generation is about to move into their prime spending years. They’re already 1.6 times more likely to use a grocery app for shopping, while Generation C – the C standing for Connected – are digital natives, exceptionally tech-savvy and hugely active online. They will become a powerful new force as they’re up to 3.6 times more likely to buy products and services with far greater regularity.
Amazon recognises the potential for E-food retail and is using Tetra Recart for its first food products – even saying in its advertisement “to kick the can”. German company Hello Fresh, meanwhile, has expanded its line to include meal kits, which are ideal for housewives with little time to prepare dinner. It’s very easy to put an order on the website or application and the ingredient set will be delivered complete with a cooking guide.
Digital and social media will also continue to grow, with mobile apps playing a greater role. There are today some 1,000 food and drink apps like UberEats, Deliveroo, and Eh-le-ma (Are you hungry in Chinese), and current predictions show that delivery time will be cut to just 10 minutes by 2025. 

Out with the can, in with the carton

The breakfast replacement drink is a new option for office workers. 

Tetra Pak has set up 10 Product Development and Customer Innovation Centres to help the customers develop new product ideas and recipes. During our tour, we get a chance to sample some ambient yoghurt that has taken China by storm since its introduction in 2010. It doesn’t need to be stored in a refrigerator. Delicious and fresh, this kind of yoghurt contains two-and-a-half per cent of proteins, making it a perfect choice for the modern lifestyle. 
“First, we make yoghurt in the traditional way, fermenting it to add bacteria. Then, we go on to the ambient temperature process using heat and sterilisation to kill bacteria. A challenge is how to make yoghurt texture stable because it is sensitive to shearing,” says Dan Bjorklund, manager of the Centre of Expertise Dairy. 
There’s also very smooth cream cheese, a vanilla-flavoured breakfast replacement drink from the UK, Greek yoghurt with aloe vera from Thailand and oriental bread with humus from Jordan, plus chicken noodle soup, whole kernel corn and Jambalaya soup from South America.
The Product Development Centre is formulating a new recipe for smooth cream cheese. It can be made in many different ways using fresh milk or milk powder before adding bacteria with fermentation. A separation machine will help extract the water from the products and boost the fat and protein content.
“We have a high shearing mixer that can be used with milk powder to obtain a high-concentrate liquid and a heat exchanger that gives cream cheese a really nice colour, smooth texture and good flavour,” Bjorklund explains.

Out with the can, in with the carton

Greek-yoghurt with aloe vera is available in Thailand.

“This product can stand at room temperature and can be eaten as a snack on the go. It goes through heat treatment at about 135 degrees Celsius,” he adds. 
“Many countries are entering an ageing society and climate change is having lots of different impacts, so the market trend in the food industry revolves around waters, plant-based drinks, cheese, and food supplements and nutrition. By 2021, around 80 per cent of products on the beverage lines will be water because people will hydrate quickly on the go. People are more concerned about their health and the environment, so they’re looking for plant-based drinks. Given the fast pace of city life, people tend to skip breakfast and have a short lunch, so food supplements are a good option,” says Lars Bengtsson, vice president of Packaging. 
“In general terms, consumers in Asia are much more curious and interested in new things. They like to experiment and move quickly from one new trend to the other, like protein one day and oat-based drinks the next. It’s different in Europe where people tend to be slower to adapt. 
Find out more at www.TetraPak.com.
 

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