Banding: The smarter sealing solution for ready-made meals

When it comes to ready-made meals, packaging does more than just hold the food; it protects freshness, provides tamper evidence, and gives customers confidence in the product. One of the most critical steps in this process is sealing.

Traditionally, ready-made meals have been sealed and packaged using adhesive labels or cardboard sleeves. But as demand for more sustainable, efficient, and visually appealing packaging grows, more brands are turning to banding as a modern sealing solution.

Why sealing matters for ready-made meals

For ready-made meals, the right seal is essential. It needs to:

• Keep packaging securely closed.
• Show clear tamper evidence for food safety.
• Withstand heat, cold, and moisture during storage and transport so that the packaging does not open.
• Maintain product quality and presentation on shelves.

Banding achieves all of this while using minimal packaging material and offering ample space for branding and product information.

How banding works

The process of banding involves a strip of paper or film, called banding material, that is wrapped around the product, cut, and sealed to itself. Instead of relying on adhesives or completely covering the entire packaging/product, a band provides a unique method of closure.

Here’s how it works:

• The product, for example, a tray, is placed in a banding machine.
• A thin strip of banding material is guided around the product.
• The ends of the band are sealed together with heat technology.
• The result is a secure, tamper-evident band that holds the packaging shut until intentionally broken.

 

Bands vs traditional sealing solutions

Adhesive Labels

Adhesive labels are sometimes applied across the opening of ready-meal trays as a simple seal. However:

• Adhesives can interfere with recyclability.
• Labels provide limited space for branding or product details.
• They create liner waste from the backing paper.
• Moisture can result in labels peeling unless coated with extra coatings (lessening sustainability)

With banding, there’s no adhesive, no liner waste, no extra coating, and plenty of space for clear product information or marketing.

Packaging Sleeves

Cardboard sleeves cover a large part of the meal tray, often the top and bottom, to secure the packaging and provide branding space. The downside?

• Excess material compared to what’s actually needed to show tamper-evidence.
• Higher cost for both material and transport weight.
• Inefficient material usage.

A band achieves the same seal while reducing material usage and still offering room for branding and product details.

Why brands choose banding for ready-made meals

• Secure closure: Bands hold trays closed firmly through transport, storage, and display.
• Clear tamper evidence: A broken band signals the product might have been opened.
• Sustainability: Minimal, recyclable material with no adhesives.
• Branding opportunity: Bands double as labels with full-color printing for logos, ingredients, or promotions.
• Efficiency: Banding machines can seal, label, and bundle in one motion, saving time on the packaging line.

A modern solution for modern packaging needs

Ready-made meals deserve packaging that is secure, efficient, and sustainable, without compromising branding or shelf appeal.

Where shrink wrap, labels, and sleeves each have their drawbacks, banding combines their benefits into one streamlined solution:

• A tamper-evident seal
• Minimal material use
• Maximum branding impact

For brands looking to modernize their ready-made meal packaging, banding offers not just a seal, but a smarter way to protect, present, and promote their products.