Barrier trays incorporating oxygen scavengers, supplied by RPC Barrier Containers, provide French food manufacturer La Belle Chaurienne with an innovative packaging format for its range of premium ready meals.
La Belle Chaurienne, named after the inhabitants of the Southern French region renowned for its traditional French stews, orcassoulets, has more than 40 years of experience replicating this heritage for supermarket shelves. Its signature dish is duck confit cassoulet, which has been awarded “Flavor of the Year” by French consumers.
The growing consumer preference for convenience has seen La Belle Chaurienne add microwaveable trays to its range of traditional cans in order to deliver a meal that can be prepared and eaten directly from the pack within three minutes.
RPC Barrier Containerswas asked to supply a suitable solution that would maintain the great taste of the cassoulets over a long ambient shelf-life. Trays are manufactured at the RPC Bebo Polska site in Poznan, Poland. The tray’s polypropylene/ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)/PP construction offers long-term barrier protection. Freshness is further extended by the use of oxygen scavengers, which actively absorb oxygen within the pack before it can reach the stew.
As the tray is fully sterilizable, La Belle Chaurienne can process the meal during filling, before it is sealed with plastic barrier lidding film. An outer paperboard sleeve provides all essential branding and consumer information.
