NEWS
FOAM BAN
Anchor Packaging Set With Full Line Of Packaging Alternatives As City Implements Foam Ban
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nchor Packaging is a family operated, privately owned company that has been in business for fifty-four years. The focus has always been on packaging solutions, with special emphasis placed on customer service, customer retention, and providing products of the highest quality. In fact, Anchor Packaging has grown to become the largest provider of polypropylene food packaging. In addition, Anchor launches an average of twenty-five new products each year, which is far more than any of the competition. It is a particularly interesting time for a packaging company with operations in the New York City market. The polystyrene foam ban has been revived, and went into effect on November 13th, 2017. Restaurant and foodservice operators are expecting to take a financial hit as a result of the new legislation. However, Anchor Packaging might be able to soften the blow. “Anchor Packaging doesn’t necessarily take a position on the legislation – It’s a matter of law. We do, however, have an opinion on the effectiveness of foam products as a food packaging solution. It’s widely known that foam packaging can fracture and that food can easily spill out of it. At some point, most people have accidently dropped a foam clamshell or had it tip over in the car. From a mar-
We aim to provide our customers with the right product, that will work best within their particular business. Having products that provide multiple solutions in a single unit really helps customers minimize their packaging costs,” said Marilyn Stapleton, Director of Marketing. keting perspective, foam packaging appears inexpensive, which many consumers associate with low quality. Implementing better packaging instantly presents the food as better quality, which is the message that operators want to convey to their customers,” explained Mike Thaler, Executive Vice President. Restaurant operators should consider the fact that quality packaging presents as a premium product, which leads customers to return and may even support higher pricing. Customer service is crucial at Anchor Packaging. The company has implemented a multifaceted customer outreach strategy, which in turn provides great industry insight. First, there are a number of employ-
6 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
ees that attend a variety of different trade shows. Thaler recognizes the importance of actually going out into the field and making visits at the store level. “We talk to the people that are using the products on a daily basis, and ask them what they like and dislike. We want to know how we can make our products better,” said Thaler. In addition, Anchor Packaging works with companies such as Technomic. In some cases, Anchor not only uses the Technomic studies, but also sponsors them in order to better understand what’s happening in the market. “We take the information from Technomic and vector it against what we’ve learned firsthand at street level,” added
Thaler. This approach makes Anchor a valued partner for its end-users and distributors. All of the information acquired through their outreach initiatives is used to create several different product solutions. Anchor Packaging offers a product called the Culinary Square, which might be especially attractive to operators in a post-foam ban New York. “We’ve already converted a number of customers in other parts of the country who were previously using foam to the Culinary Square, simply based on their desire to have a better branding and marketing message for their consumers. They didn’t convert to the Culinary Square in response to any mandate. Rather, they decided that foam was not a good way to present food, so they transitioned to the Culinary Square without incurring a lot of costs,” Thaler said. The Culinary Square is a two-piece polypropylene container available in one and three compartment units, making it a good candidate to replace foam clamshells. In fact, the Culinary Square actually has the same interior capacity as a nineinch foam clamshell. Additionally, the Culinary Square can be paired with several different types of lids, depending on the type of food be-
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