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Anchor’s Award-Winning Innovation Delivers Solutions for Local Food Service Operators Panicking at the thought of having to get rid of all your foam food containers? Don’t. Michael Thaler says the new legislation outlawing it can actually end up boosting ROI for restaurants and foodservice operations.
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he executive vice president of marketing at Anchor Packaging says his company has a rich history of responding to trends through a combination of research, innovation, “and especially, grassroots investigation with end users and consumers.” “In NYC, where people start the trends for the rest of the country, there’s been a shift towards organic food, non-GMO, looking for things that are closer to nature and “better for you,” Thaler explains. “And that tends to spill over into the belief that what’s good for the environment must be more natural and healthy, so the usage of foam containers is at odds with consumers wanting products that are better for them and the environment.” And that’s why the NYC legislation to outlaw the use of foam, as of July 1, comes as an opportunity, not a threat, for the operator and the foodservice industry as a whole. Your customers want better packaging! “We’re on the cutting edge of the foam replacement issue because we pay close attention to emerging consumer behavior and taste trends that ultimately drive the creation of food items. Our role is finding a way to
handle -- and package -- those new food trends with our unique products. We’re looking into the future, as we monitor change, to stay ahead of the industry in the development of new packaging. Beginning in July 2015, certain expanded polystyrene items are banned from sale, distribution, or use in NYC. Thaler notes that though this legislation pushed the market along, the demand to get away from foam has been there for some time. He says it all comes down to the people who are
buying the food. Thaler admits the legislation was a shocking change. “When that line in the sand was drawn on July 1 to get out of foam, operators naturally were in a rush to make sure they met the deadline and may have tried packages that don’t truly function well. “That’s where Anchor Packaging comes in.” Most Anchor polypropylene bases are made with 40% limestone; a perpetual resource used to minimize the use of oil-based resins. With new manufacturing techniques, these
With the same inside food space as a 9” x 9” foam clamshell, the Culinary Squares™ product line from Anchor offers a truly affordable upgrade from foam.
14 • September 2015 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
products are engineered to use less material while maintaining the same strength and functionality. “Our products are not only aesthetically pleasing but they’re reusable food storage containers for the consumer and recyclable curbside, which benefits the planet,” he points out. “So, as a way to help operators, we offer a lot of information on market trends and product specifications. In addition, we offer a Web-based tool where anyone can input a container they want to replace and it will show them instantly the Anchor product that is a similar size and shape,” Thaler says. The app is available online on Anchor’s homepage and can be accessed using a smart phone or any type of computer. “Our tool also helps in situations where an existing supplier may be having manufacturing issues and a customer is about to run out of product. The customer, or the DSR, can use this tool to quickly find a substitute and this, in turn, boosts the DSR’s value to the customer, because they’ve prevented them from running out of product,” Thaler says. One of the key benefits of Anchor’s polypropylene containers is that food products can be prepared in advance of peak rush periods and staged under heat lamps or in a warming unit. “And when they have those lunch or dinner rush periods, they can already have put together their most popular meals, that are staying nice and warm in a container that’s not going to melt, or deform,” says Thaler. “Serving customers faster means you can get more customers in and out of the store in the same period of time, and that boosts profitability. You’ve got a product that’s environmentally friendly and recyclable at curbside, a container that a customer can eat
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