Christmas is almost here and nothing encapsulates the taste of the festive season quite like sweet treats!
If you own a cake or dessert business then no doubt you’re gearing up for an exciting few weeks as this is probably one of your busiest periods of the year.
In order to sell as many cakes, dessert and biscuits as possible, you’ll need to stock up on ingredients and packaging. But in case you haven’t heard, the government has recently outlawed all plastic packaging for businesses selling food and beverages.
To help you navigate the new rules and ensure the products you’re selling are lawful, here are some packaging ideas for your dessert business this Christmas.
Spoons Or Forks
Some cakes, especially ones with gooey sauces or sticky toppings, may be best eaten with a spoon or fork. However, the new rules that were put in place have nixed plastic cutlery, so you’ll need to ensure the ones you offer to your customers are biodegradable.
Thankfully there are many sustainable options to choose from. Most of these are made from recycled wood, which are both cheap and eco-friendly, providing convenience for your customers while ensuring you stay within the rules.
Napkins
One of the main drawbacks (okay, only drawbacks!) of sweet treats is that once you’ve finished scoffing them down, you’re often left with sticky lips and fingers!
Thankfully you can help your customer avoid this experience by providing napkins. WQe offer a range of napkins which can even be branded if you wish. The choice is yours, but don;t overlook napkins as they represent a cheap and effective way to enhance your customer experience.
Kraft Boxes
Made from biodegradable paper constructed out of wood pulp, kraft boxes make excellent containers for holding food. It Stong, sturdy and excellent at retaining heat, they’re perfect for both hot and cold food and will keep your desserts fresh for hours.
We offer kraft food boxes wholesale, so if you require eco-friendly packaging for your desserts then you’ll find them here!
Kraft Bowls
As well as creating boxes, kraft paper is also used to make bowls. These are usually better-suited to soups, sauces or noodle dishes, but they could work well with your desserts too.
Again, these help ensure the contents remain hot and fresh, so if you’re serving warm desserts such as cake and custard or brownies, the kraft paper can retain warmth.
Kraft Bags
Utilising the strength and durability of this versatile paper, kraft bags allow your customers to carry their sweet treats around. And most importantly, they also help to reduce the amount of plastic waste you and your customers contribute, as well as ensuring you stay within the new rules.
Branding
As well as being eco-friendly, kraft paper packaging can also serve as a blank canvas to showcase your branding. So whether you’re using boxes, bowls, bags or all three, you can personalise these with your business’s branding that brings a whole host of benefits.
In addition to enhancing brand awareness, having eco-friendly packaging shows customers that you’re serious about the environment and the new rules on plastic.
Changes In The Law
As touched on above, if you own a business then avoiding single-use plastics is now a legal requirement.
Since October 1st, the use of single-use plastic items for food and beverages by takeaways and food outlets have been prohibited. The wide-ranging list of items the government is banning includes single-use plastic cutlery, plastic packaging and polystyrene containers and cups.
The ban covers all online and over-the-counter sales and it includes items from new and existing stock. So regardless of how and where you’re selling your desserts, you won;t be permitted to use these items. Likewise, if you’ve got stock left over from last year, sadly you’ll be unable to use it without breaking the rules.
The new rules state that anyone found still using single-use plastic by local authorities or Trading Standards departments will face fine and/or prosecution.
So those are our top tips for ensuring your dessert business sticks to the new rules on plastic. As pointed out, it’s essential that all businesses working in the food and beverage trade abide by the new laws and the products we’ve recommended in this post should help you do just that!
