KM's ready meal film extends shelf life

KM Packaging has developed lidding films for ambient ready meals containing uncooked meat, vegetables and sauces that can extend shelf-life by up to 12 months.

Usually presented in a crystalline polyethylene terephthalate (C-PET) tray, these ambient ready meals require lidding films that are ovenable and able to withstand rigorous retort processes to keep the contents of the ready meal fresh and safe from bacteria.

After extensive product trials, taking into account environmental and processing elements as well as the behaviour of various contents of sample pre-prepared meals themselves, KM Packaging exclusively developed two new film material specifications for a wide range of ambient ready meals.

KM Packaging says the lidding films far exceeded the performance of films currently used by some food manufacturers and that they have proven to be even more reliable, while delivering superior peelability, exceptional high barrier properties and incomparable film clarity.   

Now available under KM Packaging’s Superguard X range, the new films guarantee ultimate product integrity of uncooked produce stored at ambient temperatures for nearly a year.

KM Packaging’s managing director Charles Smithson said its latest lidding film technology was developed in response to a number of requests from food manufacturers.

“[Food manufacturers] have recently come under increasing pressure to source more resilient and reliable packaging materials following a significant increase in demand for sophisticated, ambient ready meals from organisations such as airlines, the military and shipping vessels,” Smithson said.

 “Typically ambient pre-prepared meals only last up to eight weeks, which can often lead to significant product waste. KM Packaging recognised the need for a superior high performance lidding film and with our vast experience in the food manufacturing industry we were able to easily identify the key performance criteria of the material required to do the job.”