How do you want your food perceived? Are you trying to put forth a wholesome image? Are you focusing on fresh ingredients and hand-crafted care? Unfortunately, if you are using plastic clamshell packaging, you are not conveying that image. The plastic clamshell packaging does have some benefits, like the tidiness of it and its ability to offset some of the liquid losses but frankly, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to plastic packaging.
The Con’s
There is a litany of reasons why plastic clamshells are not as good as corrugated cardboard options. When you choose plastic to clamshells keep in mind that:
- Plastic does not stand up to heat well
- The chemicals used in plastic can leech into the food and change the taste
- It is not good at providing insulation for either hot or cold food
- Grease does not have any place to drain; it just sits in the container making food soggy
If you use plastic clamshells, you are limiting your ability to keep the food hot while it is waiting to be purchased. Plastic cannot be put under heat lamps. It does not have any insulation value when it comes to keeping food hot or cold. The transference of heat from the food can make plastic containers very hot to the touch. Of course, there are the chemical concerns with plastics as well. When plastic gets hot, as it will when hot foods are inserted into the clamshell, the chemical components start to break down. Those chemicals can change the way your food tastes.
A Better Option
Corrugated cardboard clamshells are a better option. They tolerate heat well and can be put under heat lamps. They have insulative properties that can keep hot food hot and cold food cold. They absorb grease. LBP Manufacturing has your better container solutions!
