Considerations in choosing a lettuce packaging machine

While relatively new a couple of decades ago, it is now common to have sales of bagged and prepared or prewashed produce outsells whole fruits and vegetables.

A great example of this is the various bagged lettuces and pre-mixed salad blends on the market. These are ideal for consumers, and with the use of modified atmosphere packaging, they have a long shelf life that makes them a great option for retailers as well.

Understanding the Challenges

Working with fresh produce has its challenges. At Ohlson Packaging we have been working with food production facilities since 1967, so we have a full understanding of the possible issues in handling and packaging fresh produce.

Lettuce and other green, leafy vegetables can be particularly difficult to work with, which is where our team of engineers really makes a difference. Each of the lettuce packaging machine models we offer can be fully customized to your specific requirements and operational needs. Most of our clients will use one of our vertical packaging machines as this provides the optimal conditions to limit any potential damage to the delicate produce.

Low Heat and Limited Contact

Heat is one of the big issues in operating any lettuce packaging machine. Our equipment is designed to move the packaged lettuce very quickly through the vertical bagger, reducing any exposure to the heat produced by the machine itself. Additionally, the sealer process to form the bottom, back and sides of the bag can be controlled through the choice of film. Some films will be effectively and efficiently sealed at lower heats, reducing any possible residual heat issues causing wilt in the bag. The system is also designed to be very gentle on the product. This allows even delicate items such as the baby greens mixtures to safely processed through our lettuce packaging machine without the resulting smashed and spoiled leaves you will find in some packaging process.