GB2613590A

GB2613590A - Improved packaging for fresh produce

Info

Publication number: GB2613590A
Application number: GB2117659.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Baird Revill Stuart
Original assignee: Trunature Ltd
Current assignee: Trunature Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-07
Filing date: 2021-12-07
Publication date: 2023-06-14
Also published as: GB202117659D0

Abstract

Food packaging product comprising knitted net comprising water-soluble material which dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, where 90%-100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material.100% of the net may dissolve given sufficient time. The net may dissolve when heated in the temperature of 15 to 80C. The net may dissolve when heated in the temperature of 20 to 40C. The net may be PVA. The knitted may may be circular, warp-knitted. The product may comprise closure elements which close open ends of the net. The closure elements may be water-soluble. Also claimed is a bin liner comprising knitted net comprising water-soluble material which dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, where 90%-100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material. Also claimed is a knitted net comprised of water soluble material, the net comprising or being entirely PVA, being circular knitted warp-net, the net being soluble such that 90%-100% of the net dissolves.

Description

IMPROVED PACKAGING FOR FRESH PRODUCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved, food packaging product for the grouping, presentation and packaging of food products, in particular, fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to an elastic or non-elastic knitted net for grouping and containing loose or punneted fruit and vegetables which dissolves in contact with water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In Supermarkets, produce is presented to customers in an appealing and convenient manner to improve the shopping experience, make selection of multiple items easier and to make pricing and point of sale transactions quick and convenient. It is known to package a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetable produce, for example, sprouts, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, limes, lemons, citrus fruit and so on in plastic nets. Plastic nets (also known as net bags) may also be used to cover trays or punnets, for example punnets of strawberries. The nets are cheap, easy to make from nylon thread, come in a wide variety of colours, meshes and sizes. The nets can be conveniently provided with printed plastic or cardboard labels with product, marketing and pricing information. Groups of otherwise loose items, such as limes, can thereby be grouped together and priced, presented and sold as a single unit. The pricing is easy to understand for the consumer and the net makes handling of multiple items, convenient for the customer to select from the shelf at the retail outlet. The nets also make it convenient for the customer to transport the grouped fruits or vegetables, through the check-out (payment till), to home and ultimately to their fruit bowl or fridge. At home the consumer may snip the net to empty out the contents for use and the net is discarded and is of no further use. The nets are typically not biodegradable or recyclable; and after being in use for a very short time, must be sent to landfill or incinerated. Accordingly, such plastic nets, whilst convenient for fruit and vegetable growers and for supermarkets and grocers, and consumers contribute to plastic pollution.

Fruit and vegetable growers, supermarkets and grocers, and consumers, are all becoming far more aware of the detrimental affects of plastic pollution and new solutions are required. However, the solutions, need to be more or less as economical and more or less as convenient as current food produce packaging nets, otherwise they will not be adopted. It is desirable therefore to provide a packaging for fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables that does not tear or fail (causing the produce to fall out and become damaged); that presents the fruits and vegetables in a pleasing manner; that does not incur greater expense than current plastic nets; that is easy to use; and that allows any gas (or smell) emitted by the produce to be dissipated and not contained next to the packaged produce.

The applicant, has developed an improvement in the field of food packaging products for the grouping, presentation and packaging of food products, in particular, fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables, by developing a net that after it is no longer needed can be dissolved in water, and disposed of in a non-toxic, non-harmful manner whilst producing no plastics waste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a food packaging product comprising a knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the food packaging product is suitable for the packaging of a number of items of fresh produce and the soluble knitted net dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, the arrangement being such that upon wetting the food packaging product and/or the soluble knitted net for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.

Optionally, said wetting the food packaging product, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the soluble knitted net to dissolve resulting in the generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the soluble knitted net.

Optionally, the soluble knitted net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 15°C to about 70°C.

Optionally, the soluble knitted net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 20°C to about 40°C.

Optionally, the soluble knitted net comprises or is formed entirely from PVA.

Optionally, the soluble knitted net is a circular, warp-knitted net.

Optionally, the food packaging product is provided with one or more closure elements. The one or more closure elements are for attaching to open-ends of the soluble knitted net to close those ends after the soluble knitted net has been loaded with produce in order to thereby secure the produce within the soluble knitted net.

Optionally, the closure elements are also water-soluble. Alternatively, the closure elements are not water-soluble and are disposed of separately to the water-soluble net.

Optionally, the food packaging product is provided with one or more labels. Preferably formed from a paper-based, recyclable or compostable material.

Optionally, the one or more labels are affixed to the soluble knitted net using said one or more closure elements.

According to yet another aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a packaged food product comprising more than one fresh produce item grouped and contained by a food packaging product according to any of the immediately preceding paragraphs.

Optionally, the packaged food product further comprises a recyclable label attached to the food packaging product by said one or more closure elements.

According to an additional aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a packaged food product comprising an open-topped punnet containing fresh produce and a food packaging product according to any of the relevant preceding paragarphs, disposed about the punnet, secured in a closed position using one or more knots, ties or closure elements and being arranged to prevent said fresh produce from undesirably being emptied out of the punnet.

According to yet another further aspect of the invention for which protection is sought, there is provided a method of disposing of at least a substantial portion of the food packaging product according to any of the immediately preceding, relevant, paragraphs; after use of said packaged food product for transportation of said fresh produce, characterised in that the method comprises: removing the group of fresh produce items from the food packaging product; and wetting the soluble knitted net, for sufficient time until 90% to 100% of the net has dissolved and the generation of waste material for disposal is mitigated against.

Optionally, said wetting the soluble knitted net, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the net to dissolve and there is generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the net.

According to an even further aspect of the invention, for which protection is sought, there is provided a bin liner comprising a knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the bin liner is suitable for receiving a number of waste items and the soluble knitted net dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, the arrangement being such that upon wetting the soluble knitted net bin liner for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.

According to yet an even further aspect of the invention, for which protection is sought, there is provided knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the knitted net comprising or being formed entirely from PVA, being a circular, warp-knitted net, and the knitted net thereby being soluble such that upon wetting knitted net for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.

Optionally, said wetting the net, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the soluble knitted net to dissolve resulting in the generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the soluble knitted net.

Optionally, the net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 20°C to about 40°C.

The water-solubility means that the solid, warp-knitted tubular netted-bag can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly, non-harmful, non-toxic manner. By changing the state of the solid, physical food-packaging net into an aqueous solution, no waste material is sent to landfill. The consumer has benefitted from being able to conveniently transport their food produce home. The consumer has not had to think in advance of taking with them to the shop a reusable plastic bag; and the supermarket and produce growers will have been able to reduce the amount of plastic-based packaging that they use.

Within the scope of this application, it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is an illustration of soluble food-nets according to embodiments of the present 10 disclosure; FIGURE 2 shows soluble food packaging products in the form of soluble knitted nets, shown grouping, containing and packaging fresh produce: nine clementine in a first soluble packaging net; five lemons in a second packaging net; and three red onions in a third soluble net. The illustrated nets are different diameter, length, mesh shape and mesh size. The soluble net-bags shown are food-grade, latex-free and remain around the food products from packaging at a grower's; during transportation to a supermarket or grocers; whilst handled onto a store-shelf and the point of sale; and until removed by a consumer at home; and FIGURE 3 shows a recyclable punnet containing fruit, such as plums, encased in a soluble knitted net. The mesh structure of the soluble net allows air to circulate about the fruit; prevents the fruit from inadvertently tipping out of the punnet and is easily disposed of without generating land-fill waste or solid waste product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of specific embodiments of the soluble food packaging products and packaged food products (such as fresh fruit and vegetables) of the present invention are disclosed herein. It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the way in which certain aspects of the invention can be implemented and do not represent an exhaustive list of all of the ways the invention may be embodied. Indeed, it will be understood that the soluble food packaging products and packaged food products (such as fresh fruit and vegetables) of the present invention described herein may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The Figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimised to show details of particular components. Well-known components, materials or methods are not necessarily described in great detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown four rolls of differently dimensioned soluble, knitted, meshed nets 8a, 8b, Sc, 8d. The knitted, meshed nets 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d comprise knitted threads of a water-soluble material, such as but not limited to PVA. Optionally, the PVA threads are sufficiently flexible, yet sufficiently strong that they are knittable, or suitable for incorporation into a net, or netted-bag.

The threads of water-soluble material forming the knitted nets 8a, 8b, Sc, 8d may comprise a core strand that may be elastic or non-elastic material; optionally covered by one or more strands of soluble material. A variety of suitable manners, and a variety of suitable methods and techniques may be used for any such covering -for example, a covering thread may be helically wound about the core strand. In other arrangements of the invention, the core strand may be covered, sheathed, coated or otherwise protected by wrapping, helical wrapping, braiding and/or knitting wet-soluble material about said core strand in one or more layers. Where two or more covering layers of water-soluble material are disposed about the one or more core strands, the two or more layers may be of different materials to one another; may each be formed from the same material; may be formed by the same method of covering; or may be formed by different methods of covering. For example, a first layer may be helically wrapped, for example in a clockwise direction, and then another layer may be applied over the top of said first layer, by any other suitable method, for example by helically wrapping net in the opposite, counter-clockwise direction.

How so ever formed, the threads of water-soluble material forming the knitted nets 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d must be sufficiently strong, smooth and flexible to be knitted. The wet-soluble nets knitted nets 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d may comprise PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol) threads.

The threads used to form the nets shown in Figure 2 comprises a single layer of helically 30 wound PVA thread, wound on top of a single strand of (un-dyed) PVA thread. The knitted PVA net, as well as being strong and flexible, is wet-soluble. The applicant has designed a net that dissolves (between about 20°C and about 60°C; and preferably between 20°C and 40°C.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a series of three packaged food products 65a, 65b, 65c according to various embodiments of the invention. The packaged food product 65a comprises a group of fruits C, in this case nine clementine C contained by the dissolvable net 102a. A paperboard labelling band 31 is attached to the net 102a, optionally by means of closure elements 103a, 103b. The closure elements 103a, 103b and labelling band 31 may not be water-soluble. As such only the net 102a may be water-soluble. In this illustrated arrangement, the paperboard labelling band 31 is not water soluble, and the closure elements 103a, 103b are water soluble. A consumer may snip the net 102a to create an opening; or may remove one or both of the closure elements 103a, 103b in order to gain access into the net 102a and access the fruits C. Once the net 102a is no longer required; the label 31 can be tugged off and placed in a recycling or composting unit; and the net 102a can be washed-away. The order of removing the label 31 and closure elements 103a, 103b and washing away the net 102 may be done in a variety of orders and in a variety of ways, typically according to a consumer's preference. For example, after removal of the fruits C, the consumer may immediately submerge the net 102a in a bowl of water; for example, some old left-over washing-up water in a bowl in the sink. The net 102a and closure elements 103a, 103b, will rapidly dissolve leaving the label 31. The label 31 can be moved on for composting or recycling along with the closure elements 103a, 103b if they are not also water-soluble.

In Figure 2 a second packaged food product 65b comprises a group of fruits L, in this case five lemons L, contained by the water-dissolvable net 102b. A paperboard labelling band 31 is attached to the net 102b, optionally by means of closure elements 103a, 103b. The closure elements 103a, 103b and labelling band 31 may not be water-soluble. As such only the net 102b may be water-soluble. In this illustrated arrangement, the paperboard labelling band 31 is not water soluble, and the closure elements 103a, 103b are also not water soluble. A consumer may snip the net 102a to create an opening; or may remove one or both of the closure elements 103a, 103b in order to gain access into the net 102b and access the fruits L. Once the net 102b is no longer required; the label 31 can be tugged off and placed in a recycling or composting unit; and the net 102b can be washed-away. The order of removing the label 31 and closure elements 103a, 103b and washing away the net 102b may be done in a variety of orders and in a variety of ways, typically according to a consumer's preference. For example, after removal or before of the fruits L, the consumer may immediately submerge the net 102a in a bowl of water; and in this way the outer skins of the fruit L can be washed at the same time as dissolving the net 102b. The net 102b will rapidly dissolve leaving the label 31 and the closure elements 103a, 103b. The label 31 can be removed from the water and set aside for composting or recycling along with the closure elements 103a, 103b.

In Figure 2 a third packaged food product 65c comprises a group of vegetables 0, in this case three red onions 0, contained by the water-dissolvable net 102c. A paperboard label 32 is attached to the net 102b, optionally by means of only one of the closure elements 103a. The closure elements 103a, 103b and label 32 may not be water-soluble.

Referring now to Figure 3, a further packaged food product 65d is shown which comprises a punnet containing fruit. In this example, the fruit are plums. The plums are held by the punnet and to prevent the plums from falling out of the punnet, the punnet and plums together are encased in a soluble knitted net 102d. The mesh structure of the soluble net 102d allows air to circulate about the fruit; prevents the fruit from inadvertently tipping out of the punnet and is easily disposed of without generating land-fill waste or solid waste product. The soluble knitted net 102d may be closed at one or both ends by a closure 103 which may simply take the form of a knot tied by looping an end of the net and tying into a knot. This could be done by hand. A paperboard label 33 is attached to the net 102d, optionally by being tied, knotted, or otherwise suitably affixed to the net. The label 33 may not be water-soluble.

It can be appreciated that various changes may be made within the scope of the present invention, for example, in other embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that soluble nets may comprise a water-soluble material other than or in addition to PVA. Where additional or alternative materials are used, they must be suitable for being knitted into the water-soluble net.

In other embodiments of the invention, it is envisaged that a bin liner may be formed from a soluble net. The bin liner may be suitable sized for use in a waste-paper basket, small domestic bin, kitchen or utility bin or larger. The bin liner formed in this way would avoid the need for a plastic bag, plastic bin liner or plastic bin bag and yet would serve the purpose of containing and grouping rubbish for easy removal from an internal bin to a wheelie bin or other larger wate collection facility. Once emptied, the bin liner could be washed away; alternatively, if the bin liner ends up in landfill, it will dissolve due to exposure to weather, rain and outside moisture, thus not contributing to the quantity of solid waste and also not enshrining the waste in plastic which itself can take a long time to degrade.

As used herein and in the appended claims the terms "soluble" and "dissolvable" may be taken to mean significantly reduces in solid form when in contact with a sufficient quantity of moisture, such as water, steam, and/or aqueous solution, and for a sufficient amount of time such that a measurable, noticeable and optionally between about 85% and about 100% reduction in the solid physical form of the net has occurred.

As used herein the terms "thread", "net', "strand", and "filament" refer to a length or strand of typically thin material suitable for use in sewing knitting, weaving and the like which may or may not be spun. As used herein the term "fibre" includes fibres of extreme or indefinite length ("filaments") and fibres of short length ("staples"). The terms "net", "thread" and "string" as used herein, means a continuous strand of filaments.

As used herein the phrase "a wet-soluble food packaging product" may refer to a "food-grade" product that is suitable for being in direct contact with a food product; and as such may be considered as a primary packaging product.

As used herein the term "soluble food packaging product" and "dissolvable food packaging product" cover a wide variety of packaging, processing or packaging products, useful in a variety of stages in a product packaging and may refer to the only or the first layer of packaging (primary packaging) that is in direct contact with the food produce; or may refer to outer (secondary or tertiary packaging items) that are not in direct contact necessarily with all of the packaged produce. Such packaging products include, as examples and without limitation, warp, weft, elastic, non-elastic, knitted nets. Such knitted nets may be of a tubular-style, stocking-style. Any of such knitted nets may have square-shaped chains, hexagonal-shaped chains and/or diamond-shaped chains. Other suitable mesh-shapes and sizes may be used.

As used herein the phrase "soluble food packaging product comprising a food encapsulating structure formed from a soluble knitted thread, which structure dissolves in the presence of sufficient water' refers to a product wherein a significant, substantial or sufficient composition of the packaging product is dissolvable thread or net, which as described above may be twisted, knitted, looped, knotted or otherwise formed into a net, or other warp-knitted structure. In other words, the disclosure relates to a dissolvable food packaging product that is formed from, formed using, made up of or otherwise substantially comprised of a dissolvable thread.

As used herein the phrase "a food packaging product" may refer to a "food-grade" product that is suitable for being in direct contact with a food product; and as such may be considered as a primary packaging product.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A food packaging product comprising a knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the food packaging product is suitable for the packaging of a number of items of fresh produce and the soluble knitted net dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, the arrangement being such that upon wetting the food packaging product and/or the soluble knitted net for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.
2. A food packaging product according to claim 1 wherein said wetting the food packaging product, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the soluble knitted net to dissolve resulting in the generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the soluble knitted net.
3. A food packaging product according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the soluble knitted net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 15°C to about 70°C.
4. A food packaging product according to claim 3 wherein the soluble knitted net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 20°C to about 40°C.
5. A food packaging product according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the soluble knitted net comprises or is formed entirely from PVA.
6. A food packaging product according to any preceding claim wherein the soluble knitted net is a circular, warp-knitted net.
7. A food packaging product according to any preceding claim provided with one or more closure elements; wherein the one or more closure elements are for attaching to open-ends of the soluble knitted net to close those ends after the soluble knitted net has been loaded with produce in order to thereby secure the produce within the soluble knitted net.
S. A food packaging product according to claim 7 wherein the closure elements are also water-soluble.
9. A food packaging product according to claim 7 wherein the closure elements are not water-soluble and, in use, are disposed of separately to the water-soluble net
10. A food packaging product according to any preceding claim provided with one or more labels.
11. A food packaging product according to claim 7 provided with one or more labels which are affixed to the soluble knitted net using said one or more closure elements.
12. A packaged food product comprising fresh produce grouped and contained by a food packaging product according to any of claims 1 to 6, secured in a closed position using one or more closure elements.
13. A packaged food product according to claim 12 further comprising a recyclable label attached to the food packaging product by said one or more closure elements.
14. A packaged food product comprising an open-topped punnet containing fresh produce and a food packaging product according to any of claims 1 to 6, disposed about the punnet, secured in a closed position using one or more knots, ties or closure elements and being arranged to prevent said fresh produce from undesirably being emptied out of the punnet.
15. A method of disposing of at least a substantial portion of the food packaging product according to any of claims 1 to 11 after use of said packaged food product according to claim 12 for transportation of said fresh produce, characterised in that the method comprises: (i) removing the group of fresh produce items from the food packaging product as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6; and wetting the soluble knitted net, for sufficient time until 90% to 100% of the net has dissolved and the generation of waste material for disposal is mitigated against.
16. A method of disposing of a soluble food packaging product according to claim 15 wherein said wetting the soluble knitted net, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the net to dissolve and there is generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the net.
17. A bin liner comprising a knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the bin liner is suitable for receiving a number of waste items and the soluble knitted net dissolves in the presence of sufficient water, the arrangement being such that upon wetting the soluble knitted net bin liner for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.
18. A knitted net comprised of water-soluble material, the knitted net comprising or being formed entirely from PVA, being a circular, warp-knitted net, and the knitted net thereby being soluble such that upon wetting knitted net for sufficient time, 90% to 100% of the soluble knitted net dissolves thus mitigating against the generation of solid waste material for disposal.
19. A knitted net according to claim 18 wherein said wetting the net, for sufficient time, causes 100% of the soluble knitted net to dissolve resulting in the generation of zero solid waste material from the disposal of the soluble knitted net.
20. A knitted net according to claim 18 or 19 wherein the soluble knitted net comprises a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 15°C to about 70°C.
21. A knitted net according to claim 20 comprising a thread that dissolves when heated in the temperature range of about 20°C to about 40°C.