Retail Packaging for Ready Meals, Fresh Food and Convenience
Plus Pack develops retail packaging for ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook food concepts. Our trays and containers support chilled foods, microwaveable meals, ovenable dishes, grab-and-go concepts and other prepared foods across modern retail.
Designed for efficient packing, transport and presentation, our retail packaging solutions help food producers and retailers match the packaging to the food, preparation method and way the product is presented in store.
Packaging Designed for Modern Retail
Retail food packaging needs to perform throughout the journey from production line to store shelf and final consumer use.
Plus Pack packaging for retail supports requirements such as:
· Efficient filling, sealing and handling
· Food protection during transport and storage
· Stable stacking and efficient use of space
· Clear and attractive product presentation
· Chilled, microwaveable, ovenable and grill-ready applications
· Convenient preparation and handling for the consumer
The right solution depends on the food, production setup, temperature requirements and how the product will ultimately be presented and used.
“In today's supermarkets, the battle for consumer attention has never been tougher. When we develop new packaging solutions for deli counters in the retail sector, our primary goal is to blend functionality, sustainability, and design to ensure that the food catches the customer’s interest.”
Marianne Babiel Kjær - Group Product Manager at Plus Pack
Explore the Plus Pack Product Range for Retail
The Plus Pack product range includes packaging solutions for chilled foods, ready meals, grab-and-go concepts and foods intended for reheating or cooking.
Different product families support different food applications, helping retailers and food producers build ranges around the needs of the product and consumer.
Bistro™ for Chilled and Microwaveable Meals
Bistro™ provides packaging for both chilled ready-to-eat foods and warm ready-to-heat meals.
Bistro™ Cold offers clear formats for applications such as salads, deli foods, snacks and other chilled concepts where visibility is important. Bistro™ Warm provides PP trays for microwaveable meals including pasta, rice dishes, sauces and prepared foods.
The range is well suited to retail, grab-and-go and convenience concepts requiring practical portion formats, stacking and presentation.
Ready2Cook® for Ovenable and Grill-Ready Foods
Ready2Cook® is Plus Pack's aluminium packaging range for ready-to-cook, ovenable and grill-ready food concepts.
The range supports applications such as prepared meals, meat, fish, vegetables and meal kits where the packaging remains part of the journey from storage to preparation and serving.
Different formats and features are available depending on the application, including solutions with handles, inserts, lids and sealing options.
Zen™ and ClearShow™ for Chilled Presentation
For chilled food concepts where presentation is an important part of the product experience, Plus Pack offers ranges including Zen™ and ClearShow™.
These formats can support applications such as sushi, tapas, deli products, fruit and other chilled foods where clear visibility and attractive presentation at the point of sale are important.
Different formats and features are available depending on the application, including solutions with handles, inserts, lids and sealing options.
More Retail Packaging Solutions
The wider Plus Pack product range includes formats for different portioning, presentation and convenience requirements.
Solutions such as VistoPac™, SquarePac™ and GourmetExpress™ provide options for prepared and multi-component meals, while other ranges support snacking and on-the-go concepts. The original Retail proposal identifies these alongside Bistro™, Ready2Cook®, Zen™ and ClearShow™ as relevant product families for retail applications.
Choosing the Right Packaging for Retail
Different retail food concepts require different packaging materials depending on storage conditions, preparation method and presentation requirements
Rather than starting with the material alone, the choice should be based on what the complete packaging solution needs to do.
rPET, APET and DPET
PET-based materials are commonly used for chilled food applications where clear product visibility and presentation are important.
They can be relevant for salads, deli products, sushi, desserts and other chilled ready-to-eat foods.
PP
PP is used for warm and microwaveable food applications where heat resistance is required.
It can support ready-to-heat meals, soups, sauces and other convenience foods intended for microwave reheating.
Aluminium
Aluminium is relevant for applications requiring conventional oven or grill performance, including ready-to-cook and ovenable meal concepts.
The appropriate container and coating depend on the specific food and intended use.
The original draft went much deeper into individual material properties and included a full comparison table. For this Retail page, I would deliberately keep the material guidance at this level and link onwards instead.
Retail Packaging for Efficient Production and Presentation
Effective packaging for retail needs to work well before the product reaches the store.
For food producers, considerations can include reliable denesting, filling and sealing, as well as stable handling throughout production and distribution.
For retail presentation, the tray shape, visibility, compartment layout and closure can influence how easily the product is handled, merchandised and presented to consumers.
Plus Pack develops packaging with the complete journey in mind — from production and transport to shelf presentation and final use. The generator draft also highlights practical features such as square and rectangular formats, stacking, tray-and-lid combinations and opportunities for colours, embossing and print.
Retail Packaging for Food Producers and Retailers
Plus Pack works with retailers, private-label customers and food producers supplying retail channels
Whether the need is a standard tray from the existing range or a solution adapted to a specific food concept, relevant considerations can include:
· Food type and shelf-life requirements
· Filling and sealing equipment
· Portion size and compartments
· Chilled, microwaveable or ovenable use
· Transport and stacking
· Product visibility and presentation
· Lidding and closure requirements
Our specialists can support packaging selection, testing and implementation to help identify a solution that fits both the food and production setup.
Why Choose Plus Pack for Retail Packaging?
Plus Pack combines a broad food packaging range with experience across chilled, microwaveable, ovenable and ready-to-cook applications.
We support customers in finding packaging solutions that balance the practical requirements of food production, logistics, presentation and consumer use.
This includes both established product ranges and opportunities to adapt packaging around specific food, portioning, presentation or production requirements.
What retail packaging solutions does Plus Pack offer?
Plus Pack offers retail packaging for chilled foods, ready-to-eat meals, microwaveable foods, ovenable concepts and grill-ready applications. The portfolio includes product families such as Bistro™, Ready2Cook®, Zen™ and a broader range of trays and containers for prepared foods.
Which packaging is suitable for chilled retail foods?
Clear PET-based packaging is commonly used for chilled foods where visibility and presentation are important, including salads, deli products, sushi, desserts and other ready-to-eat concepts.
What packaging can be used for microwaveable, ovenable or grill-ready meals?
PP formats can support microwaveable ready-to-heat applications, while aluminium packaging such as Ready2Cook® is relevant for conventional oven and grill applications. The appropriate solution depends on the food and intended preparation method.
Can Plus Pack packaging run on automated food production lines?
Plus Pack offers formats developed for professional food production, where considerations can include denesting, filling, sealing, stacking and handling. Compatibility should be assessed according to the specific tray, food and production equipment.
Can retail food packaging be customised?
Yes. Where standard formats do not meet the requirements, Plus Pack can support packaging development around factors such as dimensions, portioning, compartments, presentation, closure and production setup.
LEARN MORE
Materials
Plastic
Plastic is a valuable resource, that can be used in many different types of food packaging solutions. But many mistakenly believe that packaging made from plastic should be avoided.
Materials
Aluminium
In a circular economy waste is seen as a resource and turned into valuable raw materials that can be used again. Aluminium recycles forever and fits perfectly into a circular economy.
Sustainability
Our approach to sustainability
There are no easy solutions when it comes to changing our industry. But going circular is not only the smart way forward. It’s the only way forward.