Hello, I recently read that you are looking to move H&S to single serving sachets, thus creating more plastic waste.
Is there any possibility of using a different type of packaging, for example, some oats I have bought have been packaged in paper.
Also, have you considered providing shops larger batches that consumers can decant from (wholefood shops in the UK offer this for various food items), or simply a much larger pouch for consumers to buy directly to reduce packaging and co2 for transport.
Of course! with any decision like this we have to take lots of things into consideration, including packaging.
Our Hot & Savoury Meal Packs use the same material as our multi-serve Pouches, but yes the plastic packaging has increased due to moving to single-serve. This decision wasnât taken lightly. We found that many customers werenât able to get consistent portions in a multi-serve format and this led to a bad customer experience and more complaints. While not recyclable, our pouches are lightweight and account for less than 3% of the productâs carbon footprint. We have had to balance a number of factors and are always reviewing our packaging.
Hi Mark, I did read that response elsewhere about the hot and savoury, however my questions were more general, sorry if that wasnât clear. I am wondering if paper packaging has been considered? I havenât been able to see anywhere about it being an option and why it was ruled out. And also my query about bulk buying wasnât answered (eg larger packs/being able to top up your own containers at shops therefore reducing waste)
Sadly this puts H&S firmly on my âwill not buyâ list.
I can see the business case for single serve pots and shop shelves, and whilst Iâm happy to admit that Iâm no packaging expert⌠I just donât understand why you canât to use something recyclable for the new pouches. Unless you just donât want to.
Thatâs my bad, sorry for not answering the question in full.
When getting this project up and running we knew this would be a stickler for a lot of people right? Unfortunately, right now recyclable options donât offer the durability needed to protect our meals and reduce food waste. Weâre always reviewing ways to improve while keeping quality high. Unfortunately, this means that paper packaging just doesnât work for us and this type of product at this time.
That being said we are constantly reviewing our packaging as technology improves, but it is important any change genuinely reduces our impact. Using a recyclable flexible plastic pouch is significantly more expensive and there is currently limited recycling infrastructure for flexible plastics - based on recent studies. The packaging we use for our Meal Packs allows us to maintain a long shelf life and minimal food wastage. It is this reduction in food waste that is one of the key reasons why Huel has minimal impact on the environment and what we have prioritised with our Hot & Savoury Meal Packs. Our pouches reduce food waste in two ways:
The material contains oxygen and UV barriers which result in the food having a long shelf life. But this layer means the packaging isnât recyclable.
The pouches are strong, this reduces bursts/damage in transit and therefore reduces food waste
I hope this answers your points but happy to jump in and answer your questions as best I can!
@Tristan This might answer some of your questions also.
These are sent out in their own box though arenât they? Surely thatâs the thing that needs to be super durable for shipping? Like Quaker oats do with their single serve packs.
I love the reduced food waste with Huel generally, itâs just, you know⌠itâs been ten yearsâŚ
I think the pots are a bit of a drag and my son prefers them as they are âeasierâ.
As for the pouches, I imagine the amount of plastic used in seven pouches (one big bag) isnât significantly more than one big pouch. Might be 15% more (fag packet maths)