ThermaFresh Box: RETHINKING fresh fish packing containers

Cascades offers ThermaFresh, a new packaging innovation that is an ingenious eco-designed option to replace traditional fresh fish packing containers. By rethinking protective packaging, Cascades provides the industry with a high-performance, cost-effective solution for the packaging and distribution of fresh food.

The ThermaFresh container is designed for shipment of fresh food both inside and outside the cold chain, and its thermal performance is equivalent to that of the traditional containers. The containers can keep the food at the required chill level (39°F/4°C) outside the cold chain for a period exceeding 48 hours.

The components of the ThermaFresh container are a water-resistant corrugated box, a metalized film liner, and a honeycomb structural core. The thermal barrier uses the principle of radiant barrier technology. The Technicomb (honeycomb paperboard) construction traps the air inside, and the metalized film liner reflects the heat molecules; when both are combined, they provide significant thermal performance. Since the ThermaFresh container is Direct Food Contact compliant, no plastic bag is required for the shipment of whole fishes.

The smart, patented waterproof liner is crack-proof and the ThermaFresh container can resist rough handling. This considerably reduces spoilage and eliminates potential contamination which can occur through the distribution process.

With this new alternative container, there is no additional disposal cost to the end user. The ThermaFresh container is easily recyclable and it can be bailed within the OCC (Old Corrugated Container) programs. Thanks to ThermaFresh, rethinking fresh food distribution packaging provides the industry with the cost effective, added performance it needed.

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“We start with the perfect water, which produces beautifully textured fish, but the other important thing is the way we pack it up. We have a system [of recyclable corrugated cardboard cartons and liners] that makes sure that the chef gets to experience the fish exactly as it was pulled from the water, and then customers get a great dining experience”. Dave Mergle, Skuna Bay's marketing director.

Cascades has produced a video-animation exhibiting all of its eco-designed packaging innovations with respect to industrial uses, which is available on line at: Cascades Industrial Packaging