Life-Saving Packaging

Keeping it fresh

Fresh-cut produce is a booming market segment. What started as bagged pre-cut lettuce for McDonald's in the mid-'80s has turned into a $12 billion market, representing about 14 percent of the total fresh produce market, according to Mike Bosky, market manager at AET Films.

While it seems easy enough to throw pre-cut fruits and vegetables in a bag or plastic carton for the market, there's a whole science behind maximizing the freshness and safety of fresh-cut produce. Depending on several variables—the type of produce, how the produce has been cut, and the storage temperature—produce packages need to be capable of controlling the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide that enters and exits. That's exactly what AET Films' HOTR®-2 film was designed to do.