New Packaging Boosts Shelf Life For Queensland Pea Pioneers

A family company widely credited for pioneering the Queensland Wide Bay snow pea industry has paved another new path by becoming the first Australian users of a new modified atmosphere packaging technology.

Bundaberg-based Snapfresh Australia Pty Ltd introduced Convex Australia’s new Opti~fresh packaging to the market last season and have subsequently boosted the shelf life and sales of their snow and sugar snap peas. Snapfresh Australia Pty Ltd and their recently formed Grower Cluster are one of Australia’s largest suppliers of snow and sugar snap peas and have been producing and supplying major retailers, processors and wholesalers for over 15 years.

Opti~fresh packaging provides life extension benefits for high respiring fresh cut produce with oxygen transmission rates (OTRs) as high as 20,000 cc/m² per day. It can be adapted to almost any type of film and made into liners, retail or food service bags. Opti~fresh is also highly sealable, making it an especially ideal lidding stock for show bowls or punnetts, where it can provide a shelf life extension permeability equal to an entire standard modified atmosphere bag by covering just the top surface of the bowl.

According to Snapfresh Marketing Manager, Sue Zaina, the highly breathable Opti~fresh packaging has extended the shelf life of their peas by at least several days and has optimised the visual appeal of both the pack itself and the packaged peas.

She says, “Opti~fresh has definitely helped maintain the freshness of our peas by keeping them crisp and green, which is just the way our customers like them. The bag has also got a very clean, crisp look about it and presents well. Overall the packaging is working really well for us and we would definitely recommend it to other growers.”

Recent Opti~fresh packaging trials have also produced significant shelf life benefits for several other types of produce, including cherries, mangoes and paw paws.

Convex Australia Product Manager, Sarah Gee says, “Opti~fresh has greatly increased the scope and applications of modified atmosphere packaging. We are now able to supply customised modified atmosphere packaging solutions for very high respiring produce, which is particularly beneficial for export.”

Convex is currently using Opti~fresh to help exporters minimise their spoilage losses and significantly reduce their transportation costs by moving from airfreight to sea freight.