Australia’s MasterFoods trials paper-based tomato sauce packs

MasterFoods has introduced a trial of recyclable, paper-based tomato sauce packs, which contain 58% less plastic than the brand’s standard single-serve packs. These new packs are designed to be recycled through kerbside recycling systems in Australia.

Developed at Mars Food & Nutrition's Wyong manufacturing facility in New South Wales, this packaging innovation follows five years of research and development and represents a $3 million investment. The pack's design maintains ease of use, allowing consumers to enjoy a pie with one hand while dispensing sauce with the other. The packs can be recycled directly in standard recycling bins once used.

Currently, MasterFoods distributes over 240 million single-serve sauce packs annually, making this trial a significant step in the company’s sustainable packaging efforts. Conducted in collaboration with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the trial aims to gather insights on both pack performance and consumer recycling behaviour.

The packaging was developed with Easysnap Technology, an Italian company specialising in single-handed, recyclable packaging solutions, and part of Gualapack.

The General Manager of Mars Food & Nutrition Australia, Bill Heague, said: The trial of paper-based MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce packs marks another important milestone in Mars’s sustainability journey, and demonstrates the role the food industry can play in working towards a circular economy.

This trial will allow us to better understand how this new paper-recyclable squeeze-on performs so we can take these learnings forwards. If we transition our full portfolio to this new format over time, Mars Australia would be set to eliminate around 190 tonnes of plastic from our value chain a year.

The trial, which started in November 2024, will run across select locations through April 2025, with over one million units distributed for consumer evaluation.