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How To Limit Your Food Waste This Winter

Using the correct equipment to transport food produce can result in an increased lifespan of produce and less food waste. Crates made form Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP) are much more efficient at preventing food loss than cardboard boxes.

But don’t just take our word for it. Here are five reasons why crates are a better choice than cardboard boxes:

  1. Multiple uses
    Plastic crates are specifically designed for frequent use over several years. Crates from phs Teacrate are made from tough plastic, ensuring that they can withstand heavy daily use. This is in contrast to cardboard boxes which can weaken and become damaged after just one use.

    Any damaged crates are sent for repair rather than replaced. And when any crates do come to the end of their lifespan, they are recycled into plastic chips for reuse; ensuring our plastic crates are never single use.

  2. Increased Hygiene
    More than 200 diseases are known to be spread through food. Specialist washing facilities ensure every phs Teacrate crate is clean and hygienically wrapped when delivered to customers. This high standard of hygiene cannot be guaranteed with cardboard boxes.

    During the phs Teacrate wash process, periodic bacterial swab testing is carried out, with Relative Light Units (RLU) results recorded and logged. This ensures there are no lingering diseases or germs on any of our crates.

  3. User friendly
    Easy-grip handles and foldable bale arms make phs Teacrate food trays much more user friendly than cardboard boxes. They can be easily stacked when full, and nested when empty. This also makes them a safer option for employees from a health and safety perspective.

  4. Strong and sturdy
    Unlike with carboard, there is no risk of phs Teacrate crates unexpectedly falling apart or absorbing any moisture or unwanted smells. Crates can also be used in fridges or freezers and have an operational temperature range of -30°C to +85°C, making them a more durable option than cardboard.

  5. Keep a constant temperature
    Food crates are designed to maintain the quality of food by helping to keep them at their ideal temperate. They are also more efficient than cardboard boxes at transporting frozen produce. This is because the design features of crates include ventilated sides to aid airflow, helping to speed cooling and/or freezing


Crates for sorting and transporting food produce

NBAT/FC4 – Standard Food Tray

A strong crate with a 35 litre volume capacity.  It can be easily stacked or nested, and is fully compatible with supermarket bale arm trays.

NBAT/FC4D – Deep Food Tray

A heavy-duty crate with a 46 litre volume capacity. These crates can be easily stacked and are perfect for use on roller conveyer belts.

Pallets and Transport Accessories


phs
Teacrate also offer a range of accessories for the food industry, including hygiene pallets, ventilated pallet boxes, and roll cages.  

Crate and pallet rental from phs Teacrate can also include a hygienic wash service.

Reducing the cardon footprint of your supply chain

Over the past few years, phs Teacrate have been working to make their crate hire and wash process as sustainable as possible.

Initiatives include creating more efficient delivery routes to reduce carbon footprint. This means that 71% of all our deliveries are now along routes calculated for reducing mileage. 
In our crate wash facilities, there are further green initiatives, including new LED lighting, which is making us 40% more energy efficient.

Why choose phs Teacrate?
phs Teacrate offer an extensive range of crate rental options that can be used to accommodate new crate requirements or top-up existing supply.

  • Crates available to purchase or rent on a flexible basis.
  • Wash services available for all types of
  • Crates available across the whole of the UK

Want to know more?

Call us on 0800 090 2342 or Send us a message