DS Smith’s corrugated board seafood box claims to keep fish fresh at under 40°F (~4.44°C) for over 40 hours in cold chain operations while helping processors lower both costs and CO2 emissions.
DryPack can be assembled manually or with automation equipment. DS Smith manufactures the boxes at its specialty packaging plants in the United States using its ‘patented and proven’ Greencoat technology – a USDA, CFIA, FDA, and FBA-certified coated box solution said to offer food safety, moisture resistance, and recyclability.
Described as 100% water-resistant, DryPack can be filled with ice to keep seafood cold in transit. Here it claims to keep fish fresh for over 40 hours in temperatures below 40°F, or approximately 4.44°C.
Apparently, DryPack is the only containerboard seafood box to be approved for air freight by the International Air Transport Association, which enables processors to ship their seafood over long and short distances. Boxes are shipped flat, which DS Smith believes will take up less space than conventional boxes and save on both incoming freight costs and fuel emissions.
The pack is also believed to be 100% recyclable at end-of-life. As such, it is expected to help phase out plastic solutions in cold chain logistics, falling in line with DS Smith’s Now and Next sustainability strategy – an initiative already believed to have replaced over 1 billion plastics in collaboration with customers.
Cheryl Holliday, director of Marketing for DS Smith, North America, commented: “DS Smith is changing how the seafood industry delivers seafood, salmon and other fish from catch to customers with DryPack, a proven, 100% recyclable, fibre-based box that meets uncompromising standards and stands up to the rigor of processing and transportation.”
Family-owned salmon producer Kvarøy Arctic has already adopted DryPack, with CEO Alf-Gøran Knutsen commenting: “Our packaging in corrugated board is a win for both the environment and our brand.”
DS Smith adds that the box – a previous winner of the World Packaging Organisation’s WorldStar Award – can be used to replace traditional wax-coated boxes in the fresh poultry and produce industries.
Related projects from DS Smith include developing corrugated cardboard pallets to transport Vilsund Blue A/S’ canned seafood products, and revealing its fibre-based, recyclable, temperature-controlled packaging solution for cold chain logistics with a 36-hour cooling period. Both solutions seek to replace plastics in transit.
Meanwhile, active packaging solutions are being developed to keep fish products fresh. Aptar Food Protection unveiled its SeaWell solution last year, designed to absorb excess liquid and slow degradation when shipping seafood; while Chalmers University of Technology recently infused amino acid cysteine into canned tuna, which is thought to remove up to 35% of the accumulated mercury and keep food safer.
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