Frozen baked goods brand Frank Dale has eliminated black plastic from its operations.
The brand, which is owned by Finedale Foods and caters to the foodservice industry, will now supply its products in clear recyclable plastic and corrugated board. All plastics used in the Frank Dale range are now recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) and contain 70% recycled plastics, with a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled material supplied by Charpac. The corrugated board is supplied by CSB Packaging.
These adjustments are being implemented across the entire range including individual quiche portions, tarts, pies, cakes, and crostini.
The move, which comes amid a host of changes to its manufacturing process as the business looks to become more sustainable, will see 10 tonnes of black plastic per year being saved from landfill.
The changes, according to Finedale Foods, also eliminate the sorting challenges at recycling centres as most black plastic cannot be detected with near infra-red technology used to sort other types of plastic. It also requires less energy in the supply chain overall as recycling clear plastic requires far less energy than production of new plastic, the firm claimed.
“Removing black plastic entirely from our manufacturing process is a significant step towards Frank Dale becoming a more sustainable, planet-conscious brand,” said Edward Miles, managing director of Finedale Foods.
“Doing so hasn’t come without its challenges, but for us it’s a non-negotiable and necessary change in line with the brand’s commitment to becoming recognised as an environmentally responsible choice for professional chefs and caterers.”
Frank Dale has been embarking on a programme to improve its packaging use and operations since 2019. The process began with reducing the number of pieces of packaging used, with the removal of excess inner carriers.
It also recently invested £400,000 in new equipment to boost production output, with blast freezers, a new metal detector, a pastry mixer dedicated to larger quiche production, and more racks among the items purchased.
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