Foodservice | Packaging
Key Single-Use Item Packaging Attributes
BRAINSTORMING SOLUTIONS
Aside from an impressive presentation, Frank Battaglia, foodservice director for Power Mart convenience stores and Nana’s Hot Dogs — a Chicago-based diner — also asks for more from the packaging he chooses. First, the materials must be durable enough to hold up to both hot and cold foods while customers transport them to their destinations. The packaging must also be versatile enough to fit several products of different sizes and dimensions to control inventory and make quantity purchases more economical. At the Powmaro Deli inside the Power Mart store, Battaglia packages the popular seven-inch submarine sandwiches in plain white butcher paper. “We found we are selling more of the sandwiches since we switched to the butcher paper,” he said. “In Chicago, white butcher paper is associated with fresh meats.” Battaglia partnered with Fischer Paper Products to provide packaging options and help with his more challenging packaging needs. He said the company helped develop a variety of solutions for his particular requirements. Next up, with the company’s help, he’s on a mission to discover a bag for the oversized (four-inch by four-inch) rectangular slices of homemade pizza he sells at the deli.
The Foodservice Packaging Institute surveyed 800 respondents in the U.S. and Canada balanced across income, education level, gender and region, about packaging needs for “The U.S. Consumer Survey, April 2019.” While c-store retailers know the ability to see the food conveys freshness and quality, customers don’t think of it as the most important attribute when compared with other attributes like leak proof and preventing stains.
Source: Food Packaging Institute’s “2019 Customer Survey Infographic,” with information from its “The U.S. Consumer Survey, April 2019”
“We use Styrofoam now, but I’m not a fan of this material,” he explained. “I would rather use a bag.” Nana’s Hot Dogs, a free-standing operation, sells between 400 and 500 of its namesake item per day. To present them, he is moving forward to use a 12-inch by 12inch flat, red-and-white check wrap. The paper must be grease-proof to neatly Packaging, with or without a window, should contain french fries as well as hot dogs. communicate freshness. Battaglia is planning to get the paper printed with the Nana’s brand. Durability for hot and cold foods is key. The company is scheduled to open another Power Mart with deli For hot foods, consider condensation-resistant materials. and another Nana’s location in Downers Grove, Ill. CSD
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CSTORE DECISIONS •
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October 2019
cstoredecisions.com
9/16/19 7:15 AM