There’s something comforting about that first bite of a fresh croissant, donut, bagel, or bun. Soft, warm, indulgent—just as it should be.
But what you may not realize is that less than a day earlier, that same product was baked, packaged, FROZEN, shipped, and stocked. It only tastes like it was made in-house.
Most consumers don’t question the process—but producers should. Behind that golden crust is a system full of inefficiencies, waste, and excess.
Traditional packaging like plastic clamshells may be common, but they fall short on freshness, efficiency, and cost savings. Modern alternatives offer better results across the board—and it’s time to take a closer look.
LIFTING THE LID ON THE REAL COST OF CLAMSHELL BAKERY PACKAGING
Producers at the onset of the bakery production have come to appreciate clamshell packaging’s simplistic, manual nature for all their products. Once product is baked and ready, plastic clamshell packaging is denested, loaded, closed, secured, and labeled – all by hand – before final spiral freezing and transport.
It’s fast and easy…and faulty.
Plastic PET clamshell packaging is flimsy. Lids can open. Labeling can misalign. When any, or all, of these multiple unit operations fail, it leads to material and product waste, shrink, inefficient downtime, and in the end annual lost dollars for producers amounting to millions.
ELEVATING BAKERY PACKAGING BEYOND FAMILIAR FORMATTING
So, if traditional formats, such as clamshell packaging, aren’t the answer where can you turn?
It’s time to trust in tray sealing and forming for optimized bakery packaging.
Opting for automated tray sealing over traditional formats offers significant benefits – all aligned with today’s consumer, retail, AND production demand – such as:
- Material Reduction
- Increased Shelf Life
- Operational Savings
- Sustainability
- Package Differentiation
- Improved Food Safety
SAVING MORE THAN PACKAGING PLASTIC
The transition from clamshell packaging to tray seal yields an immediate plastic material reduction of between 20-50% based on the structure of the bakery package. The bottom of the package is the tray. The top is now a thin, yet firm, film stock, with optional peel and reseal capabilities. No overuse of plastic, no lugs – only reliable barrier packaging that’s safer, more advanced, and essential component in increasing shelf life and production savings.
Production savings? Does packaging materials mean that much to a producer’s bottom line? The numbers don’t lie when comparing traditional clamshell to tray seal:
Avg. Cost of plastic clamshell: ~$0.18 per unit
Avg. Cost of tray + sealing film: ~$0.11 per unit
Plastic material reduction: ~40% (middle of the 20–50% range)
Material cost savings per unit: ~$0.07
= $140,000 in material savings per year (approx. assuming 2 million packages per year)
BREAK THE COLD CHAIN: PUTTING THE SPIRAL FREEZING SYSTEM ON ICE
Tray seal packaging shows impressive initial, annual savings on materials compared to traditional bakery packaging formats like clamshells. Yet, those savings pale in comparison to the production savings achieved through the independence and utter abandonment of the spiral freezing system so long relied upon for baked good production.
Due to the availability of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) when packing, shipping, and storing various baked goods, the prerequisite freezing process is rendered obsolete. With the integration of MAP and tray seal packaging, producers forego myriad capital expenditures associated with freezing systems, including:
- Capital Expenditure on Freezing Infrastructure & Equipment Costs (approximately $250,000)
- Installation + Site Preparation (approx. $50,000)
- Labor Costs (approx. $75,000)
- Monitoring, Maintenance & Downtime Recovery (approx. $20,000)
- Ongoing Operational Costs (approx. $30,000)
- Refrigerated Or Frozen Transport + Cold Chain Logistics (Reefer Trucks) (approx. $40,000)= Total Potential Annual Savings of Up to $215,000 to $550,000+ per year in operational and logistical costs alone.
TRAY SEAL VS. FLOW WRAP FOR PREMIER BAKERY PACKAGING
However impressive tray seal may seem when compared to a standard, simplified format such as the clamshell, how does it stack up again a more advanced, trusted form of bakery packaging such as high-speed flow wrap?
It would stand to reason that tray seal and flow are evenly matched concerning efficiency, production, and savings. Each brings unique benefits and automated advantages to packaging operations and stands on their own individual merit as an optimized solution.
For bakers, the choice is clear: tray seal easily takes the top spot for the premier packaging system for present and tomorrow.
Tray sealing’s edge over flow wrapping stems primarily from its inherent production simplicity and packaging material reduction. Flow wrapping often utilizes a polystyrene or plastic tray, accompanied by a plastic film overwrap. This process involves multiple (albeit automated) steps during production, including tray loading, wrapping, sealing, and labeling.
Tray sealing simplifies system complexity by reducing packaging touchpoints and manual intervention and required packaging stations and equipment. Additionally, tray sealing integrates a sturdier (often downgauged) packaging tray with single top film (sealed via MAP or heat) which eliminates the need for a full wrap or redundant film use.
The result? The numbers may surprise you:
- Material Savings: Up to 20-30% reduction in packaging materials.
- Production Cost Per Unit: Approx. $.15 per unit (flow wrap) vs. Approx. $.12 per unit (tray seal), savings of up to $40,000-$100,000 annually.
- Labor Savings: Up to $83,000 per year, per line (reduction of two manual operators from the flow wrap line)
- Downtime Cost Reduction: Up to $40,000–$75,000 per year, per line (due to fewer machine stoppages, less manual intervention, and more reliable sealing)
- Spoilage & Shrink Reduction: Up to 50-70% product shrink and spoilage reduction (3-5% to 1-2% with MAP), saving approximately $50,000+ per year, while improving product integrity and perceived quality.
STANDING TALL AMONG YOUR COMPETITORS WITH TRAY SEAL
Regardless of what packaging format you’re replacing – traditional clamshell or advanced flow wrapping – tray sealing helps your product stand out among your competitors on retail shelves. In fact, 72% of American consumers believe that the design of a product’s packaging often influences their purchase.
Tray seal packaging can be customized to common and premium products alike, protecting them better and adding advanced features such as MAP, peel and reseal capabilities, premier labeling – complete with the most nutritional information – the standard clamshell packaging cant match.
LONGER SHELF-LIFE MEETS STRONGER PROFITS
Tray seal bakery packaging also adds an essential dimension of product shelf life that can reduce shrink by up to 90%! For bakery, extending shelf life even by one day through better atmosphere control (via tray sealing + MAP) has an outsized impact on reducing shrink especially in fast-turn, fragile categories like bakery.
The key to this impressive reduction is switching from a high-oxygen environment like clamshell packaging or flow wrap to the MAP of tray seal. Low-oxygen MAP Replaces oxygen with nitrogen and/or CO₂, slows down spoilage organisms, extends shelf life by 1–5 days depending on the product (especially useful for cream-filled, butter-rich, or fruit-topped items). As shrink and waste are their biggest variable cost, even small increases in shelf life make all the difference to retailers.
How does this work?
Supermarkets typically don’t sell 100% of perishable items before expiration. For short-shelf-life bakery items (e.g., 2-day code), unsold product on day two or three is discarded or deeply discounted (i.e., shrink).
Now add a day to the shelf life. One extra day of display time increases sell-through rates, allowing more full-price sales and reduced shrink. Reduced shrink means fewer chargebacks or unsellable returns, better margins, less food waste, and better ESG metrics.
Let’s look at a real-world example:
Bakery products have a 3-day shelf life. Here’s how they typically sell:
Standard Packaging (3-Day Shelf Life):
Day 1 (Stocked): 40% sold
Day 2: 40% more sold (80% total)
Day 3: 10% more sold (90% total)
Day 4: Remaining 10% hits expiry and is discarded
Result: You lose 10% of your product to shrink.
Now let’s say you switch to tray sealing with Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and extend shelf life to 4 days:
Day 1 (Stocked): 40% sold
Day 2: 40% more sold (80% total)
Day 3: 15% more sold (95% total)
Day 4: Final 5% sold before expiration
Result: Shrink drops to ~1% — and most product is sold at full price.
Original shrink rate = 10%
New shrink rate = ~1%
Shrink reduction = 90%
That’s not just a sustainability win — it’s a bottom-line boost for bakeries and retailers alike.
GREENER PACKAGING THAT DELIVERS SAVINGS & SUSTAINABILITY
In addition to premiumization and shelf life, tray seal packaging better adapts to the prevalent sustainability trends emerging in both European and North American markets. Integrating sustainable materials such as pressboard, paper board, fiber tray, mono plastics, and other recyclable packaging, tray seal offers not only immediate reduction in materials (up to 50%), but opens various futureproof packaging options traditional formats can’t match. 
Global bakery markets are moving away from heavier, plastic packaging, becoming leaner, thinner, stronger, downgauging and yet keeping the same advantages – product protection, visibility, durability, and shelf life – that producers and consumers crave.
The switch to sustainable tray seal doesn’t simply mean reduction in materials and greener packaging options. In addition to energy efficiency gained from the removal of the spiral freezing system, sustainable tray seal also offers significant carbon reduction through improved logistics.
Tray-sealed packages are lower profile and more stackable, increasing cases per pallet and pallets per truck. This can reduce truckloads per year, cutting fuel use and emissions.
Let’s look at an example:
If you reduce 1 truck shipment per week:
52 truckloads/year × ~1,000 lbs CO₂ per truckload =
~52,000 lbs (23.5 metric tons) CO₂ saved annually
Combine the carbon reducing factors previously cited from removing the freezing system:
Packaging reduction: 20–22 metric tons of CO₂
Fewer shipments: 20–25 metric tons CO₂
No freezing energy: 100–135 metric tons CO₂
The total savings are equivalent of removing 30–40 gas-powered cars from the road for a year or saving 300–400 barrels of oil annually!
SEIZE THE SHELF WITH UPDATED BAKERY PACKAGING THAT PERFORMS
The shelf is crowded. Your product shouldn’t blend in — or break down. Switching from clamshells or flow wrap to tray seal isn’t just an upgrade — it’s a competitive edge.
Lower costs, longer shelf life, less waste, better margins. The packaging tells your story before the first bite. Let’s make sure it’s one worth unboxing.
Ready to talk about tray seal? Harpak-ULMA Packaging ready to help. Contact us about making the switch.
