Wegmans customers have spoken on plastics. They want the grocer to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used throughout its stores, and specifically, within its prepared foods department, says the Rochester, N.Y.-based company.

“We’ve been on a journey to reduce plastic packaging since 2019. It’s a priority for our company, and for our customers,” Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans packaging, energy and sustainability category merchant, said in a post on the grocer’s website. “The part that can be hard to understand is why it takes a journey. On the face of it, switching from one material to another seems like a fairly easy task, but the truth is, packaging is as complex as the food it’s protecting.”

A main reason plastic packaging is so prevalent in the food industry is because it protects the product from start to finish, said Wadsworth, adding that the more complex the food, the harder it is to find a sustainable solution.

“When looking for a fiber-based option for our poke bowls and power meals [in the prepared foods department], we faced a number of challenges. The biggest one being the oils, sauces and moisture,” said Ed Riederer, Wegmans sustainability procurement area manager for packaging. “Finding anything made of fiber that can contain those liquids was a challenge. On top of that, the packaging also had to stand up to production, storage in the coolers, and cold and/or hot merchandising.”

Durability and a satisfying eating experience are also top of mind when it comes to packaging solutions.

“You also have to look at how it travels and how it will hold up in a customer’s fridge,” said Joe Pucci, restaurant foods group manager. “Then there are the labels — making sure they stick to the package, hold up, and then also peel off when necessary. And most importantly, of course, is maintaining the integrity of the product so we’re not changing the eating experience for our customers.”

To solve for these challenges, Wegmans says its restaurant foods and sustainability teams partnered to find a solution that satisfied their combined wants and needs. For both groups, protecting the product and preserving its quality and integrity for customers to enjoy was the No. 1 focus.

“We had been exploring fiber-based packaging options for these products for some time, but nothing on the market could solve for the use case we had,” Wadsworth said. “It wasn’t until recently that new innovation in fiber packaging made it possible for us to move away from plastic for these products.”

When it comes to sustainable packaging, Wegmans says its focus is on reducing plastic usage and opting for packaging crafted from renewable or recycled materials. In the case of the poke bowls and the power meals, there was the opportunity to trade plastic for renewable plant-based fiber.

However, switching to a fiber container won’t always be an option based on the needs of certain products, the company says.

If plastic packaging can’t be avoided, there’s still an opportunity to improve its sustainability, whether it’s reducing the gauge of plastic being used, increasing the amount of post-consumer content, or a combination of the two.

“When it comes to improving sustainability, it’s all about the journey,” Wadsworth said. “There’s no one easy answer or approach for doing what’s best for the environment, and in many cases, it’s taking small steps to get closer to the ideal, as the science and technology continue to evolve. We continue to make progress, celebrating our wins, while also tackling the next project.”