Cirkla, Belmark, Ossid launch resealable fibre food trays

USA – Cirkla, Belmark and Ossid have combined fibre tray bases with resealable lidding film, offering food processors a format that slots into existing sealing lines without machinery changes.

Cirkla said the solution reduces plastic usage by up to 90 percent while matching or exceeding plastic on durability, barrier protection and shelf life. 

The trays pair Cirkla’s moulded fibre bases with closure film from Belmark, with Ossid supplying the automated handling equipment that positions and seals each unit.

Servo Alignment and Digital Recipes Speed Format Changes

Sealing is performed by Ossid’s ReeMaster NextGen Automatic Tray Sealer, a ProMach unit and North American distributor for Reepack. 

Built for medium to large-scale output, the machine uses servo-indexed conveyors and lateral clamps to hold trays in alignment through processing. 

A washdown-ready stainless-steel open frame allows tool-free cleaning, while a 12-inch colour touchscreen stores digital recipes, cutting changeover time between top-seal, modified atmosphere packaging and vacuum skin packaging formats. 

Producers running several pack types on one line benefit most from that flexibility, since changeover duration directly affects line utilisation.

Compatibility Avoids Capital Investment

The units operate on standard industrial tray sealers in the United States without modification, removing the capital expenditure that usually accompanies a switch in packaging substrate. 

Food processors evaluating format changes must weigh equipment costs against retailer requirements, and a drop-in solution lowers that barrier considerably.

Live Trials With Retailers and Protein Processors

Trials have run on live packaging lines with major US retail chains and protein processors, testing performance under commercial conditions rather than controlled pilot settings. 

Cirkla intends to begin production at its first US manufacturing plant in Gainesville, Georgia, in the first quarter of 2027. 

The company disclosed in August that the Georgia site will produce across its moulded fibre portfolio and employ more than 100 people at full capacity. 

For the food sector, resealable fibre trays address a practical gap, since prepared meals and fresh produce require packs that protect contents, reseal after opening and satisfy retailer pressure to cut plastic content, provided supply volumes and seal reliability hold at commercial scale.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE