The past month has been extremely difficult for so many of us affected by Sandy.  As many of you know, I live in Long Beach, NY one of the areas hit hardest by Sandy.  I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your patience, kind words, thoughts, and prayers.  Many of my friends lost everything they owned and are still sleeping on family members couches, floors, or in some FEMA approved dingy hotel.  I was very lucky, I only had 5’ of water in my basement which knocked out all of the mechanicals of my house.  The good news is I just moved back home last week and I can now turn 100% of my energy back to you J.  I really cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support…….it meant the world to me! Thank you!

Have you been to The Database of Complete Package website lately?

After much planning and effort to polish up our internet storefront we are pleased to have our new website up and running, ready for your packaging needs. You can browse through our staple categories, choose from Quick Service Restaurants, Catering & Event Planning,Coffee & Tea Houses; or use our favorite option for ease of use, the Product Search bar! All items have tags and keywords attached to help pull up the item you’re looking for in a flash.

While you’re perusing the containers, enjoy the fresh look with custom graphics that reflect our commitment to supplying a wide variety of restaurant needs that are environmentally minded and gentle on the budget.

Beyond the product, we also have toolbar links to customer references, links to manufacturers we carry, credit and resale forms, and a catalog of our past blogs. Take a look around and let us know how well the new set-up works for you. We appreciate your feedback since we created the layout with you, the customer, in mind.

Show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with hot cups, cold cups, and lids from the Pink Ribbon product line at The Complete Package. This is an annual product that we are proud to offer as a way to promote breast cancer awareness. With these hot beverage cups, you can be sure that you’re putting your money where your mouth is. That’s because the cup you’re drinking from comes with a donation to Breast Cancer Research & Awareness. That’s right, twenty percent (20%) of all International Paper profits from Pink Ribbon product sales will be donated to Breast Cancer Research & Awareness.

Pre-Order Pink Ribbon Hot & Cold Cups Today

Keep in mind that these are specialty items that must be ordered in advance. Breast cancer awareness month may be in October, but you have got to get your order in no later than July 3rd if you want any Pink Ribbon products. This product line includes a pink ribbon design on the cup and a matching pink lid to go with it. However, you only need to pre-order the hot and cold cups. The pink lids can be ordered as needed.

Getting your order in now will ensure your customers know you’re a proud supporter of breast cancer awareness.  So please join us as we offer the Pink Ribbon product line to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2013.

I have a lot of customers that ask me if a food packaging item is “compostable”.  Usually an item that is compostable is made out of PLA (such as Fabrikal’s Greenware cups).  PLA is also known as the plastic that is made out of corn.  While this is a more eco friendly option than an item made out of polystyrene or polypropylene (used mostly for microwaveable containers), it is not as environmentally friendly a package as an item made of recycled PET.  One issue about PLA is that it takes an incredible amount of fossil fuel based energy to farm and harvest the corn (which is usually a GMO corn).  Another issue that I find particularly disturbing about PLA based compostable products, is that these items are only compostable in a commercial composting facility!  The problem is that most food service operators do not sort their compostable packaging items, nor do they use a carting company that commercially composts.  Obviously, if you are a foodservice operator that uses Action Carting or another commercial composting carting company, then you are being very eco friendly using a compostable PLA item, or compostable food starch based cutlery.  The other issue with PLA products is what happens to these PLA products when they leave your store?  They end up in a public garbage bin.  When this happens, not only are these PLA items not composted, but they end up contaminating the recycling stream because most recycling facilities cannot differentiate between a PLA plastic item or a PET (think soda bottle plastic) item.  PET on the other hand is the most commonly and most easily recycled plastic.

Nowadays, many manufacturers use quite a bit of post consumer recycled content, in addition to post industrial content in producing their foodservice packaging items.  Most paper bags, paper shopping bags, napkins, some disposable food containers and a clear cup line are now made of post consumer recycled content.  Not only are these items already made of recycled content, but they can be easily recycled again and again, being reborn in different products and removing a lot of waste from entering a landfill.  It is also less energy intensive to recycle than to create a PLA based product.  One other advantage of recycled content options, is that there are many options for recycling products than there are commercial composting facilities.  Every home nowadays, has a recycling bin for example.  For these reasons, it is my belief that recycled content based disposable packaging is the better option if you want your food concept to be as eco friendly as possible.

Oh yeah – 1 last advantage of recycled content food packaging vs PLA plastic based packaging: it is usually much more affordable for you, the foodservice operator!

If you are interested in any additional information on making your food concept as eco friendly as possible, please contact me! My expertise is ECO FRIENDLY PACKAGING!

The ban is proposed to eliminate large-size sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages from the city’s restaurants, delis, sports arena vendors, movie theaters and food carts.
“The proposal would also keep restaurants from offering self-service cups bigger than 16-ounces and would impose a fine of as much as $200 per violation.”  Read More online at CBS News.

Why hide a sexy sandwich in a paper wrap? If you’ve got nothing to hide, show it off! Creative Carryout’s by Solo Foodservice has a diverse line of hinged, plastic on-the-go containers with a clear top to showcase culinary works of art, and a black base to make the fresh colors pop with appeal. Busy lunchers will quickly snatch these out of your cooler leaving you with a satisfying profit.

Christmas is coming up on us fast and it’s time to start stocking extra packaging in anticipation of a rise in catering orders. Due to the scorching summer and drought taking a toll on the nation’s crops, food prices are hitting consumers hard at the grocery store. The cost of holiday dinners ordered to-go is quickly becoming a cheaper alternative to a home cooked meal. When considering the additional cost of utilities, time and of course the already existent stress of the holidays, it’s fairly easy to tempt customers into the convenience of a hot and ready holiday menu.

Whatever holiday fare you serve, you’ll find the right size and shape containment in our catalog, with an emphasis on eco-friendly options. Consider packaging such as Innoware Expressions which are microwave safe so they may be reheated prior to serving and use 30% less plastic than the standard competing dish. Tie the whole meal together by bagging them in sturdy paper shopping bags which we can offer with your customized logo. Advertising your brand on a happy customer’s to-go order is a great way to show other potential customers how you can also set their holiday stress at ease. Be sure to review our holiday schedule in the “Mark the Date” section.

Holiday Catering Disposables Checklist:
–Serving Utensils
–Catering Trays & Dome Lids
–Catering Bowls
–Christmas/Holiday Cellophane
–Condiment/Sides Dishes/Bowls
-Tumblers, Wine Glasses, Champagne Flutes
-Sternos
-Water & Food Pans; Steamtables
-Holiday Napkins, Tablecovers, and Napkin Bands
–Plates & Heavy Duty Forks, Knives, Spoons; Available in Red & Green!
–Dessert, hors d’oeuvres dishes
–Cake & Pie Boxes; Pie Tins, Pastry Bake In Molds
-Delivery & Catering Boxes