Kepak is helping retailers cut food-to-go waste with its new East St Deli range, designed to tackle short shelf lives in pre-packed sandwiches.
Pre-packaged sandwiches typically offer a shelf life of 1–2 days, but the East St Deli range delivers a longer shelf life than comparable products. Internal modelling data indicates this could reduce sandwich waste by up to 50%, addressing the estimated 10.7m–17.8m sandwiches discarded in UK retail each year.
The premium range includes five sandwiches – Chicken & Stuffing, Chicken & Bacon Mayo, Tuna Mayo, Egg Mayo and Cheese & Onion Mayo – alongside two wraps: Sweet Chilli Chicken and Chicken Caesar. Products are available at an RSP of £2.89.
Kepak achieves the extended shelf life using ‘modified atmosphere’ packaging, which maintains ingredient quality by optimising the atmosphere within the pack to preserve a ‘just-made’ taste and texture without artificial preservatives. Each product is packaged in recyclable aPET, paper and card materials in line with WRAP guidance.
The launch comes as the UK sandwich category continues to grow, now worth £5.8bn and up 10.9% over the past two years. Research conducted with the ACS identified pre-packed sandwiches as the highest-waste product in convenience stores, with short shelf life cited as the main issue.
