News

Sealed Air Cryovac, the flexible and rigid plastic packaging group, has developed a shrink-wrap bag aimed at reducing theft of fresh foods, in conjunction with track-and-trace specialist Checkpoint.

SmartPak tags, which are compatible with the most common security gates, are inserted into the bags at the manufacturing stage and will set off an alarm if not deactivated by the cashier.

Sealed Air claimed tampering with the tags was impossible because they could not be removed without "destroying the entire pack", and the "drop-in" application meant firms would not need to modify their existing packaging equipment.

Dairy products, such as Parmesan cheese, are the first to use the tags, but the company said the technology was suitable for a range of fresh products including smoked and processed meats.

Gerd Wichmann, marketing director for Sealed Air Cryovac Europe, said the development of RFID technology would provide more opportunities to prevent loss of stock.

"We are able to help our customers and retailers to further improve their bottom line by reducing the in-store theft of high-value food products," he said.