Packaging films for fish and seafood

Maximum product protection, extended shelf life, attractive design, efficient processability and, last but not least, benefits across the entire supply chain. Packaging fish and seafood safely, cost-effectively, and with efficient use of resources requires specialist know-how. Sudpack is one supplier with exactly that expertise. 

With its SKINPro and Multifol Extreme solutions, the German film specialist Sudpack offers two product families tailored to the specific requirements of these highly perishable, sensitive foods, delivering advantages in more ways than one.

Packaging fresh salmon fillets, tuna chunks, whole gilt-head bream, smoked trout, shelled crayfish, sharp-edged mussels, or even shrimp skewers may be part of your daily business – but it’s anything but routine. Delicate surfaces, irregular shapes, sharp edges, and moisture all need to be managed, along with short shelf lives and stringent hygiene and food safety requirements. Especially in the seafood segment, where these factors can quickly drive up loss rates, packaging becomes an effective lever for economic profitability and competitiveness – and ultimately for reducing food waste.

Packaging engineered for delicate fish products  means high-performance films that can be processed efficiently into reliable packaging solutions and deliver the convenience consumers expect. To achieve this, skin, MAP, and vacuum packaging are the industry’s go-to technologies. Whatever the format, it must deliver a secure seal even if the seal area is contaminated, resist punctures from heavy or sharp-edged products, and help extend shelf life with an integrated barrier function – ideally while using as little material as possible.

SKINPro – the new generation of films with premium optics for the most demanding seafood applications

Developed by Sudpack specifically for shrimp skewers, salmon fillets, and whole fish, SKINPro is an innovative, visually appealing vacuum skin packaging system built around a high-performance skin top web and matching bottom web designed to work together perfectly. The thin top web wraps around the product like a second skin, reliably handling even high product protrusions, sharp or pointed contours, and extreme undercuts. The product is held securely on the bottom web, preventing juicing and allowing flat, upright, or hanging presentation at the point of sale. Most importantly, the system helps extend the food’s shelf life by removing oxygen, ensuring reliable sealing, and delivering barrier properties matched to the product. For the “counterpart,” Sudpack offers a range of PE-, PP-, and APET-based bottom webs designed specifically for SKINPro top webs and engineered to ensure reliable sealing. This also includes bottom webs made from the corresponding mono-materials that meet recyclability requirements. All SKINPro material structures run efficiently and reliably on skin packaging machines. 

With premium optics and outstanding convenience, this packaging system also makes an impact at the point of sale: The wrinkle-free top web, with enhanced transparency and gloss, delivers maximum product visibility, a fresher appearance, and a premium look and feel. The clean, smooth, and easy opening behavior further reinforces the positive consumer experience.

Multifo Extreme – high performance for extreme packaging applications

Multifol Extreme is another proven flexible film that combines maximum functionality with minimal added weight. Due to its outstanding sealing performance and high puncture resistance, this Sudpack product family is ideally suited for MAP or vacuum packaging of fatty, protein-rich, or sharp-edged products such as fresh salmon fillets, white fish, or herring portions, as well as frozen goods.

In addition, the film is about 30% lighter than conventional PA/PE structures, delivering benefits across the entire logistics chain. Specifically, without any compromises on product protection, Multifol Extreme in a thickness of just 150 µm can replace a conventional thermoforming film with a thickness of 200 µm. Further material savings can be achieved by combining a Multifol Extreme base film with a lidding film from the same product family. Despite the material’s low thickness, the perishable food stays well protected inside the package. 

Another plus: This packaging concept also shines during the packaging process itself – with outstanding thermoforming properties that support deep draws, as well as good processability on standard thermoforming packaging machines.