‘Amaizing' sandwich packaging ditches plastic, becomes tray

The retailer initially launched the new packs in the Western Cape and began rolling them out nationally from mid September 2008.

The new sandwich packs carry the stamp of approval of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an internationally recognised body backed by a large number of leading conservation groups including WWF-SA.

As Head of Foods, Julian Novak, explains, “Plastic made from oil is a non-renewable resource. Our new packaging is based on renewable and sustainable resources. The cardboard is certified as coming from well-managed forests, which means we're supporting responsible forest management. We are particularly proud of this packaging because it is the first time that certified sustainable cardboard is being used in South African food packaging.”

Even better, Novak assures customers that the introduction of the new packaging has had no impact on Woolworths sandwich prices.

The innovation doesn't stop with the materials; the cleverly designed box ‘unzips' into a handy, self-contained and disposal tray.

The packaging is colour-coded, too, with orange circles identifying sandwiches made with chicken, red circles for pork, blue for fish, yellow for egg, brown for beef and green for vegetarian options.

One thing that hasn't changed - in addition to the wide variety of fillings and different breads to choose from - is that the ‘to go' sandwiches are delivered fresh to stores every day and are sell-by dated as your guarantee of freshness.