MasterFoods trials paper tomato sauce packs

Australian tomato sauce brand MasterFoods is trialling paper-recyclable, single-serve tomato sauce packs — which use 58% less plastic than the original packaging and can be recycled via traditional kerbside recycling.

Made in Mars Food & Nutrition’s manufacturing site in Wyong on the NSW Central Coast, the MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce packs are a result of five years of research and development trials, with $3 million invested in the project so far.

The packs have been designed to be easy to use so that consumers can still hold a pie in one hand and their sauce in the other. Once empty, the packs can be disposed of in the recycling bin.

Over 240 million of the company’s tomato sauce packs are currently used each year, so the trial is an important part of the company’s sustainable packaging initiative.

The General Manager of Mars Food & Nutrition Australia, Bill Heague, said, “The trial of paper-based MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce packs marks another important milestone in Mars’s sustainability journey, and demonstrates the role the food industry can play in working towards a circular economy.

“This trial will allow us to better understand how this new paper-recyclable squeeze-on performs so we can take these learnings forwards. If we transition our full portfolio to this new format over time, Mars Australia would be set to eliminate around 190 tonnes of plastic from our value chain a year.”

The trial has been designed in partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and will allow MasterFoods to collect important data on the performance of the new pack, including how to best educate consumers to recycle the product after use.

Chris Foley, CEO of APCO, said, “I commend Mars for collaborating with APCO throughout the development process, taking a thoughtful and iterative approach to trial and refine the new packaging format. By focusing on real-world testing, this trial will help ensure the packaging can be effectively recycled post-consumer use. We look forward to seeing the results and continuing to support their efforts in achieving the best environmental outcomes for their packaging.”

The packaging has been designed and produced in partnership with Easysnap Technology, an Italian packaging company specialising in recyclable one-handed packaging technology and part of Gualapack.

Starting in November 2024, the trial will take place across a variety of locations and should be available through to April 2025. More than a million units of the paper-based packaging will be evaluated by consumers during the trial.