UPM Specialty Papers, Danish bakery company Lantmannen Unibake and Adara, a Finnish maker of corrugated board and packaging, have co-developed a new fibre-based packaging for frozen baked goods.
The new packaging is intended to eliminate plastic bags inside the cardboard boxes of frozen bread. Under the partnership, the three firms decided to use UPM Asendo barrier paper as an inner liner in the corrugated cardboard box.
UPM Asendo is said to lower the use of fossil-based materials and ensure food safety and freshness. UPM Specialty Papers product manager Kirsi Lahtela said: “The partnership with Lantmännen Unibake and Adara opened the opportunity to unite our expertise across the food packaging value network to create a renewable and recyclable packaging solution for frozen bread.
“Lantmännen Unibake and a third-party food industry development company conducted thorough testing and analysis on the impact of packaging materials on the taste of the frozen bread; as a result, UPM Asendo was chosen as the inner liner for the cardboard box.
“The food-safe UPM Asendo barrier paper layer has proven to offer the grease and moisture resistance needed while ensuring food safety.”
Lantmännen Unibake was seeking more sustainable solutions for packaging and transporting frozen bakery products.
UPM Asendo is a barrier paper that is suitable for direct contact with food, recyclable, and biodegradable in both the home and the workplace.
It is said to have good resistance to grease and moisture and is ideal for bread bags, dry, refrigerated, and frozen foods, as well as non-food wrapping, the speciality papers producer said.
Lantmännen Unibake Finland packaging development manager Riikka Salokannel said: “We are eager to drive innovations in our industry and find more sustainable packaging solutions.
“This new packaging innovation for frozen bakery products could not have been created without UPM Specialty Papers and Adara; it is a great example of how we can reduce the use of plastic in food packaging by working together with industry partners.”
Adara is a corrugated cardboard and corrugated packaging firm that focuses on sustainability alongside quality, flexibility, and efficiency in all its operations and daily tasks.