The centerpiece of a successful takeout and delivery program is the right packaging. It ensures that the food stays fresh and maintains its quality during transportation. Proper packaging helps to retain heat and prevent leakage or spillage, ensuring that customers receive their meals in the same condition as if they were dining in.
Amidst a world dominated by social media, the right packaging plays a significant role in branding and customer experience. It represents the restaurant’s image and can leave a lasting impression on customers. A visually appealing and well-designed packaging can create a positive association with the restaurant, leading to repeat orders and positive word-of-mouth.
With that in mind, in the realm of food packaging innovation, few companies have left as indelible a mark as Inline Plastics. With over half a century of experience in the industry, they have not only set the gold standard but continuously redefined it. Inline Plastics is renowned for pioneering the concept of crystal-clear, thermoformed food packaging, and their innovative Safe-T-Fresh® line, featuring patented tamper-evident and tamper-resistant technology, forever altered the landscape. Now, with the introduction of their groundbreaking Safe-T-Chef® line, Inline Plastics is stepping into the hot food application arena, unleashing an all-clear polypropylene packaging solution that combines safety, visual appeal, and versatility.
To delve into the secrets behind their success, Total Food Service sat down with Carrie Cline, Senior Brand Manager of Inline Plastics to discuss their latest creation, market responsiveness, and unwavering commitment to food safety and quality.
For those who don’t know Inline Plastics, can you please share an overview?
Inline Plastics is the leading manufacturer of innovative, high quality, crystal clear, thermoformed food packaging. With more than 50-years in the industry, the company transformed the marketplace in the early 2000’s with their Safe-T-Fresh® line, a product line that utilizes their patented tamper evident and tamper resistant technology, providing retailers and consumers with greater product protection. Recently, Inline incorporated the patented tamper protection into a polypropylene product line, known as Safe-T-Chef®. Making it the first tamper evident, tamper resistant, all-clear, polypropylene product line for hot food applications. They continue to design and manufacture packaging solutions that keep food products safe, secure, fresh, and enhance shelf merchandising. The company also offers the most complete line of automated equipment to load, close and label their packaging.
What was the niche that your R&D team and salesforce saw that the new Safe-T-Chef packaging responds to? How does Inline Plastics listen to market feedback to improve its products?
Food safety is not a new concern. Inline’s tamper evident technology has been a sought-after feature for two decades. But since COVID, the market has seen across-the-board growth in the demand for pre-packaged goods, particularly those with extra layers of security, like their extensive portfolio of Safe-T-Fresh options. But there wasn’t an option for hot food applications – until now. Safe-T-Chef gives takeout and delivery producers even greater flexibility, as it is the first tamper evident, tamper resistant polypropylene packaging product line designed specifically for hot applications.
Safe-T-Chef is also not just for restaurants. Commissaries and central kitchens that offer heated, or heat-and-serve, options are all utilizing this next generation of packaging. Pre-cut vegetables, side dishes, and even complete entrees, can be quickly heated in a microwave in the original packaging, making the transition from store to table fast and efficient, without extra prep and work.
Inline Plastics takes a multi-prong approach to obtaining market feedback, from informal discussions with customers to formal market research tactics that include both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
What are the benefits of the patented tamper resistant seal and tear-strip in the Safe-T-Chef packaging?
Tamper evident technology provides peace of mind. It is an easy-to-identify component of a package that quickly conveys a level of safety and security to the consumer about the food they are going to eat.
Why does the exceptional clarity feature of the Safe-T-Chef packaging, a game changer?
People eat first with their eyes. Food that is visually appealing triggers the other senses. Our brains begin imagining what it will smell and taste like. From a marketability standpoint, all clear packaging offers multiple advantages. It entices – seeing attractive food makes us want to buy that food. And it provides instant gratification – the food we want is here. We can see it. Inline uses the highest clarity polypropylene materials to make sure the contents take center stage. Safe-T-Chef, is the first all-clear tamper evident, tamper resistant polypropylene packaging product line for hot foods. It eliminated the black bottom, making the food visible in 360°. All clear material also makes the sorting process easier for recycling.
How can the leak resistance of the Safe-T-Chef packaging contribute to food safety?
Inline’s years of experience and quality testing have resulted in packaging with the tightest seal. Leak resistance is a key feature for cleanliness during transport, and for freshness. When it comes to safety, its stands to reason that if foods and liquids cannot leak OUT, then by the same token, nothing can accidentally get IN. The foods inside are protected.
What are the scoopable corners in the Safe-T-Chef packaging and how do they enhance convenience?
Scoopable corners are rounded edges in the packaging the fit perfectly with the shape of a spoon. They make it easier to get every last bit of delicious goodness out of the package. This feature, along with leak resistant, are all tangible benefits that add value by responding to individual preferences on how to eat and enjoy packaged foods.
What are the advantages of the new non-domed, flat lid option for 5×5 and 9×6 Safe-T-Chef packaging? How does the non-domed, flat lid design give the packaging contents a fuller appearance?
Market research determined that some applications do not require the extra head space of a domed lid. Designing and developing a flat-lid option provides an alternative, giving the packaging contents a fuller appearance by removing that extra space above the fill line.
Can you explain the increased stacking capabilities and enhanced stability during transport offered by the new flat lid design?
Simply put, flat and square pack tighter than rounded objects. When the contents do not require the extra head space that dome lids provide, stacking packages with flat lids allows the shelf to be optimized.
What factors should restaurants consider when choosing between the traditional dome style and the new non-domed, flat lid design? Aesthetics? P&L?
There are multiple factors to consider when deciding between a flat vs dome lid. From an aesthetic standpoint, dome lids give the appearance of a larger package (looks bigger). They provide extra headspace for contents that are shaped irregularly and require more volume, like chicken wings or stemmed broccoli. A dome also gives the extra space needed for add-ons or toppings and will not compress the contents. Flat lids work well with contents that are more condensed, such as rice or corn, that do not require extra headspace. This gives the appearance of a fuller package (looks like more food).
There’s been so much growth in takeout & delivery: How does the Safe-T-Chef packaging ensure the security of the hot foods inside during third-party deliveries?
As third-party food delivery continues to grow, packaging is becoming an important component to retail and restaurant offerings. Meals need to be able to travel. That requires keeping them safe 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. Once sealed in the kitchen, the possibility of tampering with food inside as the package changes hands multiple times is eliminated. The consumer has the visible assurance that the food inside is safe and secure.
What are the different packaging combinations for individual or family-size side dishes, entrees, or multi-course meals?Â
Inline prides itself on maintaining a culture of constant innovation, which includes developing and expanding their extensive product catalog of SKUs. The complete portfolio of products includes hundreds of shapes, sizes, compartments, and features that meet all the wants and needs for a wide variety of markets and applications. But they don’t stop there. Their Innovation Center takes challenges that customers bring to them and develops an entirely new feature or product line that the whole marketplace benefits from. So, whether its snacks, side dishes, on-the-go meals, individual servings, or complete entrees, there’s an Inline product to meet the need.
Can you provide examples of how the versatility of Inline Plastics’ products benefits different types of food service establishments?
Inline’s innovation in the Grab-n-Go and prepared foods sector are meeting the demands of the growing commissary sector. Their packaging’s exceptional clarity and quality improves merchandising, while ensuring contents will travel safely without leaking or losing freshness. As packaging changes hands, tamper resistant packaging minimizes the possibility of tampering, ensuring foods reach the consumer as safe and fresh as possible, regardless of which food service establishment they originate from.
It’s important that you talk about Inline’s commitment to “under the hood”: Your attention to how product is produced. What goes into designing and manufacturing the unique closing, locking, and labeling features of Inline Plastics’ packaging?
It all circles back to Inline’s long-standing commitment to innovation by pioneering new ideas and pairing them with new technologies. Many of the products in their catalog are the result of customers presenting new problems and Inline’s Innovation Center developing a solution. Multiple compartments to mix and match foods, add-ons for dips and dressings, rigid sides for better merchandising, are just a few examples. What comes to Inline as a challenge for one customer needing a solution, results in a new feature or product line that the entire marketplace benefits from.
Inline has also been a leader in tamper-evident and tamper-resistant technology: Talk about your commitment to that.
As consumers continue to look for convenient packaging that offers the food safety they desire, Inline’s extensive catalog of products means retailers always have the right packaging available with trusted tamper evident, tamper resistant technology. They offer hundreds of SKUs. With the recent launch of Safe-T-Chef®, the food service market now has options never before available for hot food applications.
Where can an operator or the distributors that serve them find more information about Safe-T-Chef?
They can start by visiting Inline’s website at InlinePlastics.com to browse their extensive product catalog, see the latest releases and features, and connect with the sales, automation, and R&D teams with any questions. Their customer service teams are always available at 800-826-5567.
