Comparative assessment of the shelf life of tomatoes in paperboard and plastic punnet trays

Fresh produce packaging keeps evolving as growers, packers, and retailers strive to stay competitive amid changing market demands. Shifting consumer preferences, corporate sustainability goals, and tightening regulatory restrictions on single use plastics are fuelling a transition toward paperboard alternatives.

However, alternative packaging materials and formats must still be fit for purpose. For applications like fresh produce, packaging must protect the delicate items and offer a shelf life that's at least equivalent to plastic.

So, do paperboard punnet trays for fresh produce applications deliver an equivalent shelf life to traditional plastic punnet trays?A study, conducted by Washington State University, set out to determine just that.

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