Food Applications · 3 min read
How to Specify CPET Food Trays for Ready Meals
Prepare a CPET tray brief covering dimensions, chilled or frozen distribution, reheating instructions and lidding trials.
Novarise Packaging Resources · Updated
Key decisions
- Specify the meal, tray footprint and compartments together.
- Validate the actual reheating instructions.
- Test tray, film and sealing equipment as one pack.
Start with the meal and distribution route
CPET is a material family commonly used for ready-meal formats that need reheating, including freezer-to-oven applications. This general material role does not approve every CPET tray for the same oven, microwave or cooking instructions.
Record meal type, fill weight, sauce content, portion count and shelf presentation. Explain whether the packed meal will be chilled, frozen or moved through both conditions. The route determines which sample and validation questions are relevant.
Confirm capacity and equipment fit
Share the target capacity, external dimensions, maximum fill height and compartments. Check how the tray must fit the filler, sealing tool, carton and retail shelf. A photograph can communicate the preferred appearance, but a drawing or measured sample is needed to compare formats accurately.
When several meals share a tray, assess the largest portion and the most demanding food contact. Request samples before committing to printed sleeves or tooling, and record the flange dimensions as well as the container body.
Validate filled-pack reheating
State the intended oven or microwave method, time, temperature and lid instructions. Test filled trays under those conditions and assess shape retention, handling and opening. Review the lid and any sleeve separately where the consumer instructions require removal.
Do not copy a temperature range from another supplier's CPET specification. The final instructions should match the selected tray, meal and supporting records. Include the equipment or consumer method used in the trial so the result can be interpreted correctly.
Run sealing and packing trials
A seal depends on the flange, lidding film, sealer and operating settings. Inspect seal integrity, peel behavior and food contamination near the flange. If MAP is planned, coordinate the food producer's validation plan with the tray, film and equipment review.
Evaluate how filled packs stack and travel through chilled or frozen distribution. Confirm carton fit and the approved packing arrangement. Before ordering, send the tray brief, food conditions, expected volume and market requirements so the quotation and records refer to the same specification.
- Meal and fill weight
- Tray footprint, capacity and compartments
- Storage and reheating instructions
- Sealer and lidding film
- Packing and transport conditions
- Product-specific documentation
Common questions
Can I use one heating instruction for every CPET tray?
No. Confirm the selected tray and complete pack against the intended meal, heating method and product-specific records.
References and further reading
These references provide general material or regulatory context. They do not establish the performance or compliance of a Novarise product.