Sharpak Win Thistle Seafood's Business Destined for Tesco's Finest 

In recent times Sharpak has launched a range of Polypropylene (PP) fish trays, the F1 and F2. Since their launch the top processors have listed the range and millions of trays have been sold through some of the leading UK multiples.

Oct 14 2010 --- There is little doubt that the nutritionist’s message about the health benefits of Omega has driven fish sales to new heights. The fish and shellfish market is now worth 2,295m increasing by a third since 2003.

Sharpak is the company of choice for Thistle Seafoods with a range of recycled PET/PE fish trays specially designed for Thistle Seafoods and their range of fishcakes. Thistle is one of the top fish processing firms in the UK specialising in frozen fish and added value products such as Fish Cakes.

A range of Seachill fish cakes is now being sold widely throughout countrywide branches of Tesco’s within their Finest portfolio of food products. The range includes cod, cheese and chive and salmon, spinach and Sicilian lemon fishcakes.
 
In recent times Sharpak has launched a range of Polypropylene (PP) fish trays, the F1 and F2. Since their launch the top processors have listed the range and millions of trays have been sold through some of the leading UK multiples.
 
Having a share of the fish cake…
The range of recycled PET/PE fish packaging is a perfect fit for a highly sustainable organisation like Thistle. With the accent on reduced food waste and extended shelf life this new packaging portfolio has all the right credentials to deliver a precious resource to the UK’s largest retailers. 

Sharpak has landed a distinctive catch with Thistle Seafoods with a 100% supply listing to the major seafood processor from the start of October for its fish cakes and breaded haddock lines. In clear and black colours the range includes 5 separate packaging products with an Oval Fish cake tray in two depths all destined for the UK’s largest retailers.
 
Sealed and delivered
The Oval fish cake packaging in black is made from up to 70% recycled PET (r-PET) with a PE top coating. The PE laminate offers excellent sealing characteristics for gas retention and extended shelf life. With mounting pressure on processors and packaging manufacturers to reduce waste companies are continually looking at how they can improve on materials and sealing to achieve extended shelf life, reduce food waste and meet environmental targets. The products from Sharpak tick all the boxes.

Sustainability is pretty much at the core of what Thistle Seafoods practice from sustainable fish sources under the auspices of the Marine Development Council (MSC) to their choice in sustainable packaging.
 
Sharpak lead the way in environmental packaging and has, over the last few years, significantly reduced its dependency on non-renewable resources. In fact Sharpak was the very first rigid thermoforming manufacturer to blend post consumer waste into its packaging.
 
Locally sourced
The choice of a UK manufacturer and locally caught fish will sit well with a consumer increasingly demanding local or UK produce. By sourcing packaging in the UK Thistle Seafoods is re-enforcing a strong and sustainable marketing message.
 
Pallet utilisation and storage optimisation
The designs are manufactured with an a-b denest facility enabling optimal warehouse storage through fuller palletisation in turn leading to a significant reduction in truck numbers on our roads.

Over the years the seafood processing sector has made huge strides in terms of both the product and the packaging – it has proven that a precious and fragile resource can be fished sustainably and that its supply chain can reflect a stewardship that must be second to none in the food and food retailing industry.