Which fast food packaging should I choose?

Preparing and serving good quality food quickly and well: this is the major challenge for fast food professionals. A daily challenge, which every piece of equipment you choose must enable you to meet with flying colours.

And what if packaging was one of the keys to success in your business?

Find out in this article the types of fast food packaging you can choose from, to ensure optimal service quality and customer experience for your consumers.

The fast food challenges that packaging helps you overcome

Fast food has been gaining momentum for years. By 2022, 73% of consumption moments are in fast food in France. And product delivery in the sector continues to grow: this mode of product distribution is accumulating +85% growth between 2019 and 2021.

However, among the wide range of fast food packaging available on the market, the choice may seem vast.

Before you get started, here are the criteria to help you select the ideal packaging solutions for your business. Your packaging should :

Comply with optimal food safety conditions: a basic requirement to ensure you operate within the current safety standards.
Allowing quick packing: your food packaging must be simple to assemble, and allow protection of your foodstuffs in no time.
Simplify the transportation of your products, or the “on the go” consumption of your products.
Be eco-responsible, to go in the direction of the ecological laws in force (such as the AGEC law which bans the use of single-use plastic), but also in the direction of the expectations of consumers, who are increasingly sensitive to environmental protection. To learn more about this topic, visit the article “Ecological food packaging: what does the legislation say? How to comply?.
Ensuring a good customer experience for your consumers: your brand image also involves packaging!

Keep these criteria in mind, and now discover the fast food packaging solutions you can pick from.

Food containers: packaging essentials for fast food

Whether you’re offering takeaway or on-site consumption in your shop, the containers you choose need to be suitable for the fast food principle.

Trays, boxes, jars, salad bowls, cups, pouches… All these containers must be suitable for food contact, hermetic after closing and easy to open for your consumers. Also think about their eco-responsibility: you must ensure that your customers give them the right end of life.

To do this, your food containers can be :

Plastic, approved for food contact and eco-responsible (either made from recycled materials or recyclable, for example)
In sugar cane, a 100% environmentally friendly biosourced material, as it is produced from renewable natural materials, and ensures good food security
In cardboard, recyclable and protective, which has the benefit of being ostensibly eco-responsible

Some food containers to consider

	The round cardboard salad bowl is very protective for your foodstuffs, but also recyclable and valuable.
	The OPTIPAK plastic box is recyclable after sorting and collection at the company. Its lid allows a hermetic closing, and it allows to enhance your products, which appear under the transparent plastic.
	The sugarcane compartment box is highly functional, and resistant to water and grease. It is also suitable for hot filling, and microwaving.
	The bisourced sugar cane shell box is perfect for presenting your burgers, kebabs, and other ready-to-eat dishes in an eco-friendly way.
	The candy cane dessert cup is safe, thanks to its quick and easy clip-on lid.
	The corn starch window carton, which is biodegradable and recyclable, adds value to your food products thanks to its large window that reveals its contents.
	The sugarcane snack box is industrially compostable and bio-based. It is water and grease resistant, and is very practical thanks to its breakable lid.
	The brown cardboard jar ensures perfect protection of food, thanks to its thick cardboard that keeps its contents warm or cold for more than 15 minutes.
	The recyclable cardboard chip pouch allows for a good hold on the food, while being eco-responsible, as it is recyclable.
	Kraft pizza box with greaseproof paper keeps pizzas warm, opens easily, and is oven or microwave safe.

Food films and papers: to protect your food safely

To properly protect certain foods, you will also need suitable films and papers. These must of course be suitable for food contact, but also avoid greasing your consumer’s hands during transport.

Some packaging solutions to consider

	Bio-based, recyclable kraft food paper is moisture resistant.
	Snack paper is highly resistant to moisture and fats. It is available in basic kraft colours, or in newspaper print.
	Traditional greaseproof paper is a fast food essential for packaging greasy products.
	Food tissue allows you to package and protect dry, non-greasy products while remaining lightweight.

Bags and pouches: to make transporting your food products easier

If you sell your products to go, you’ll need bags that protect your products well, while ensuring your food packaging is eco-friendly. Food bags, on the other hand, allow you to pack your products safely , whether you are selling them to take away or for consumption on the premises.

Some packaging solutions to consider

	The fast food kraft bag is ideal for carrying your products flat. Its flat handles are designed to withstand fairly heavy weights.
	The kraft paper bag with food contact approved gussets is a good solution for packaging your sandwiches, pastries and other food products.
	The kraft sandwich bag is specifically designed to pack all your sandwich types, thanks to its greaseproof kraft paper.
	The large window bag with adhesive closure lets your products show through in the packaging, and is secure with a closure that hermetically seals the bag.
	The biobased, recyclable Ovenbag® is designed to go in the oven or grill with its contents inside. Ideal for packaging paninis, pizza slices, or croque-monsieur, for example.

Disposable tableware: to help your customers consume quickly

As you probably know: disposable tableware has been the subject of several regulations for several years, both European and French. You must therefore choose it in accordance with these current legislations, and with the deadlines of future laws.

For example:

As of 2021, cups, straws, plates with plastic film, glasses (including cornstarch), lids (including cornstarch), and mixing sticks are banned.
In 2023, fast-food restaurants will no longer be able to use single-use dishes when their meals are served on site; they will have to switch to reusable dishes.

Some disposable tableware items to consider

	Choose paperboard hot drink cups or cold drink cups, as well as sugar cane pulp cup lids.
	Opt for reusable stainless steel cutlery (for onsite consumption) or wooden or bamboo cutlery (for takeaway).
	Plates made of molded cardboard or plant fiber should replace your plastic plates.
	Bamboo or stainless steel straws are replacing plastic straws.

Isothermal packaging: for delivering your fast food customers

When you deliver your products to your customers’ homes, you need to ensure that they arrive in optimal condition and, if necessary, nice and warm or cold. To do this, remember to use suitable isothermal packaging:

	Isolated crates and boxes are essentials for your fast food deliveries.
	Isothermal bags and pouches can allow you to transport smaller orders simply, keeping them cool or warm.
	Cold accumulators should be slipped into isothermal packaging, to keep your products at a positive or negative temperature, and avoid product spoilage.
	Isothermal cushioning materials, such as cold product cushioning pads or isothermal bubble wrap, are ideal if you need extra protection in your boxes or cartons.