Straw-based food packaging targeted at supermarkets

UK company ValueForm has created food packs made from straw, and said it wants to lead a change in supermarket and retail food packaging.

The company, which plans to have its 100% straw pizza discs on supermarket shelves later this year, wants to promote an industry-wide move away from plastic and paper to more sustainable and economically competitive products.

Making eco-friendly packaging attractive to supermarkets and big producers is the only way products can have a real impact, said ValueForm founder Jaydeep Korde.

Korde said ValueForm has been working on creating packaging which offers environmental benefits, costs the same or less than paper or plastic, and offers the same technical characteristics.

“ValueForm is about meeting or beating the price of the product we’re looking to replace. It’s the nature of the supermarket business.”

One of the challenges in creating food packaging had been to meet the high levels of food safety standards, Korde said. A product also needs to be comparable to conventional packaging in terms of strength.

Korde said many ecologically friendly packaging options come with a higher price point and are limited to high-end products where people are prepared to pay extra for these credentials. But he wants to take on a mass market.

He said ValueForm has been working alongside supermarkets to understand what will work well in the market.