Wearside firm’s fully recyclable yoghurt pot could ‘transform food sector packaging’

A FULLY recyclable pot made by a Wearside food packaging manufacturer has been launched by Alston Dairy as part of its Ann Forshaw’s Farmhouse Yogurt range.

The 140g pots produced in Washington by PFF Packaging use less plastic than equivalent packaging and more post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, optimising use of resources and making them easy to recycle.

The plastic and card can be easily separated, and both components fully reprocessed back into packaging.

PFF says its independently-verified IMPAC-T process offers a 46% carbon footprint reduction compared to the current assembly system.

PFF is one of the largest independent food packaging manufacturers in the UK, with sites in Washington, Sedgefield and Keighley in Yorkshire.

The Alston Dairy order follows a £2m investment in a ground-breaking thermoforming system at PFF’s Sedgefield site, part of a £4m investment programme in new process technology.

PFF group sales director Ian Smith (pictured above) said: “PFF has supplied packaging to Alston Dairy for more than a decade and we know how important sustainability is to the business and its customers.

“Our IMPAC-T product … has the potential to revolutionise the dairy sector, as well as other food sectors where sealed-in freshness, strong branding and lower carbon footprint is essential.”

Based in Longridge, Preston, Alston Dairy produces the ‘Ann Forshaw’s’-branded yoghurt using milk from the farm’s herd of 350 British Friesians.

The firm’s founder Ann Forshaw said: “Sustainability is very important to us. We are very proud that 100% of the milk that goes into our yogurts comes directly from our family-run farm and is pumped directly into our dairy, so there are zero food miles.

“A fully and easily recyclable pot is key to maintaining a low carbon footprint for our yogurt.”