By Ryan Slattery
For more than a half century, Inline Plastics has been the leading manufacturer of high quality, crystal clear, food packages for the restaurant industry, so it’s not surprising that the company is at the forefront of innovation once again.
Inline transformed the marketplace with the launch of their patented Safe-T-Fresh® tamper protection technology that gives consumers confidence the food contents within the package are secure and have not been tampered with. The launch of Safe-T-Chef® brought this technology to hot food applications, making it the first tamper evident, tamper resistant polypropylene product line available in the market. Not only has the line expanded in recent months, but all the vented options now include anti-fog.
“As third-party food delivery continues to grow, packaging is becoming an important component to retail and restaurant offerings,” explains Carrie Cline, Inline’s Senior Brand Manager. “Meals need to be able to travel safely. That requires keeping the contents protected and fresh while being passed from kitchen, to shelf, to driver, to consumer. The more touchpoints, the greater the risk. Inline Plastics’ patented tamper protection technology minimizes that risk. This gives the consumer confidence that once sealed in the kitchen, the food inside the package has not been tampered with as it changes multiple hands during transportation. They have the visible assurance that the food inside is safe and secure.”
Safe-T-Chef® adds a level of security not seen in the industry and their vented options allow steam to dissipate in applications where food is packed hot or kept warm with heat lamps and hot displays. This keeps the food from getting soggy while in the packaging. All the vented options have the anti-fog feature to ensure the highest clarity possible, allowing the consumers to see the contents.
“Venting alone is not enough to release built-up heat inside a package,” says Cline. “This excess heat creates water vapor that condenses and forms droplets, fogging the inside of the package, obscuring the view of the food. Now, Inline has developed an anti-fog feature on the vented Safe-T-Chef® packages. The benefits of the anti-fog include improved visibility, appeal of the food and reduces food waste.”
Inline has had decades of experience with venting in their Safe-T-Fresh® product line made of PET. Venting allows air to flow for various reasons to keep the contents at peak freshness, this is especially important for dishes that contain vegetables that have high outgassing properties.
As innovators in their market, Inline Plastics is staying ahead of the curve with their sustainability initiatives. In 2020, Inline launched their ‘reborn’ initiative becoming the first and only thermoformer of rigid plastic packaging to offer 10% post-consumer in all their PET product offerings. While many sustainability claims in the market are often unsubstantiated with companies making misleading “greenwashing” claims or using language like “sustainable,” “recyclable,” and “compostable” that confuse consumers, Inline has substantiated its claim through an independent third-party.
SCS Global Services, a worldwide leader in sustainability standards, has conducted an independent audit certifying that Inline products are ‘Made with 10% post-consumer recycled PET’.
“Integrity and transparency are an important part of the way Inline Plastics goes about business,” says Cline. “There are very few companies in the industry who share the data necessary to acquire a third-party independent certification.”
For more information on their vast line of award-winning products, visit InlinePlastics.com.
