Heat-sealable PET and PP plastic trays

Not everything can be solved with fibre. When the product needs to be fully visible, when you have to heat seal with a guaranteed leak-tight closure or when you pack in modified atmosphere, the plastic tray is still the right tool. It is standard in fresh-cut produce and cut fruit, meat, dairy and catering, where the pack stops being just a container and becomes part of the preservation process.

We work with heat-sealable trays with and without lids, in clear, white and black finishes, and they can be customised. PET gives rigidity and transparency, so it is the natural material when presentation is what counts; there is also a recycled PET option for companies with a sustainable packaging policy. PP is more flexible and tougher, and is chosen according to the product and the type of seal. Compared with cardboard or moulded pulp trays, plastic wins on leak-tightness and visibility; it loses on natural product image, and it is best used where it adds value rather than where it only adds cost and waste.

With this type of tray, the machine and the pack are chosen together, never separately. The flange has to be flat and even so that the mould can rest on it, and the lidding film has to be compatible with the tray material. For short runs or a wide variety of products, the semi-automatic modified atmosphere tray sealer is the right fit; for medium output, the LS-975, which changes format by mould; and for high in-line output with modified atmosphere, the automatic LS-1375.

Modified atmosphere pays off when shelf life is the bottleneck: fresh-cut produce, cut fruit, delicate products or long shipments. For fast-moving whole fruit, a conventional seal or flow pack is often enough. For food contact, always ask for the declaration of compliance for the specific format, and bear in mind that end of life depends on the recycling stream for each material.

Fontanet Group, from Fraga (Huesca) and with a team with more than 30 years in the sector, supplies the tray, the lidding film and the tray sealer under one roof, so that the pack is defined together with the process. Dimensions, available materials and compatibility with your mould are confirmed by our sales team.