Waitrose is changing the packaging for its own label Passata range, from glass jars to SIG Combibloc’s heat resistant combisafe carton pack. The premium food retailer will now use SIG Combibloc’s flexible filling technology and the retortable combisafe carton pack for its own label Passata with Basil and Passata with Garlic and Onion products, moving from 680 g glass jar to a 500 ml combisafe carton pack.

The passatas will be filled by La Doria in Italy on food filling machines from SIG Combibloc. Through the use of three modular filling units a hugely diverse range of products can be filled in combisafe – the size and quantity of the chunky product ingredients can vary in virtually any respect and can be measured out precisely. After the products have been filled into the carton pack, which is open at the top, the carton top is sealed ultrasonically. The carton packs are then automatically conveyed into an autoclave. Package and product are sterilised together. In the area of carton packs for long-life food, the use of a rotary autoclave is a world first, delivering optimum temperature distribution inside the carton pack.

Due to its rectangular shape, manufacturers and retailers, such as Waitrose, will benefit from maximised transportation and storage efficiency, and use of shelf space in the supply chain. combisafe carton packs fill up the available space on supermarket shelves around 30 per cent better than food metal cans, and also have high visual impact.

SIG Combibloc offers a complete perforation opening for combisafe, which means the top of the carton pack can simply and safely be torn off by consumers, without the use of scissors. This allows easy pouring and even spooning to remove all contents from the carton pack, hence reducing food waste.

John Vine, Waitrose Category Manager for the initiative, commented: “Switching to SIG Combibloc’s combisafe carton pack means we can now offer our discerning customers a lighter long-life alternative, which also guarantees first-class quality and product protection from our stores to kitchen cupboard storage.”

John continued: “The carton pack’s impact on the environment will also be an important factor both to Waitrose and our environmentally aware customers. The low weight of the carton pack, due to resource-efficient use of raw materials, plus the excellent environmental performance of the unprocessed cardboard, are major factors in why the combisafe carton pack has the best environmental performance.”