Cepac’s IP registered Chiller Pack, which transports fish or shellfish in a chilled environment using a corrugated cardboard composition, continues to show its capabilities with two major achievements this week.

Firstly, it has been awarded top prize in the Innovation category at the 2020 Aquaculture Awards – an annual event which highlights exceptional contributions to the industry. At a virtual awards ceremony on September 16 the prize was awarded to the Chiller Pack product, developed for Scottish Shellfish who supply mussels and oysters to restaurants, retailers and wholesalers across the UK.

The Aquaculture Awards honour follows on from the pack being named ‘Best New Concept’ at The UK Packaging Awards in November 2019. The unique design was formally registered with the Intellectual Property Office earlier this year.

In addition, this week, results from third-party tests have also confirmed that the Chiller Pack meets industry requirements, maintaining essential low temperature levels for more than 78 hours when kept in a chilled environment.

The pack demonstrated great performance, keeping the core temperature of the pack at a constant low. Lab tests designed to replicate chilled transportation showed that the inner maintained below a five-degree temperature for the duration of the trial.

To keep seafood fresh, the Chiller Pack uses a unique corrugated cardboard design in combination with waterproof liner technology, which enables excess water to drain away from the product, avoiding any fresh produce sitting in water, which can compromise freshness.

Nigel Hobson, Head of Sales and Strategy at Cepac Rawcliffe, added: “This highly innovative Chiller Pack continues to attract great interest, demonstrating that corrugated is a feasible and sustainable transit solution for the aquaculture industry. The effectiveness of the pack is backed-up by laboratory tests and published results and we are delighted that another awards panel has also commended it as a truly innovative product. We are very excited about its development potential.”

Greg Farquhar, Supply Chain Manager at Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group, said: “We worked closely with Cepac to develop new packaging that can keep our mussels live while in transit, with the added benefit of reducing the need for single-use plastics. Sustainability is increasingly important across the supply chain, so we’re pleased to bring new, recyclable packaging to the market.”

To find out more about how the Chiller Pack could support your supply chain, contact cepacrawcliffe@cepac.co.uk