SAVE FOOD Initiative award winners from interpack

The global SAVE FOOD Initiative awards have been designed to recognise interpack exhibitors that are developing innovations, materials, packaging and technologies that are looking at minimising environmental impacts, improving sustainability, and reducing food loss and waste.

The inaugural competition saw 100 entries across two award categories — SAVE FOOD Design and Sustainability.

2026 SAVE FOOD Design Award Winners

The SAVE FOOD Design Awards recognise solutions that reduce food waste and loss — from materials and technologies to all-round end-to-end concepts.

Gold

The SAVE FOOD Design Gold winner is Grupo Lantera (Spain) for its ReKeepEat solution, which is suitable for sliced meats, ready meals and fresh meat. Designed to find the balance between packaging and food waste and offer the lowest environmental impact, the solution can preserve freshness, reduce food waste and extend shelf life. Resealable and easily openable, the solution is available in either a vacuum or modified atmosphere pack. A mono material PET tray and lid is designed for recyclability at end of life. This solution was also awarded a 2026 WorldStar Packaging Award during interpack.

Silver

The SAVE FOOD Design Silver winner is Greiner Packaging (Germany) for its Click-In Sealing Lid. Designed as a mono material sealing lid that sits inside the rim of the tub, the pack is intuitive, tactile and offers an audible ‘click’ mechanism. Compared to traditional sealing lids, the lid is designed to require only a small inward embossing on the cup to stay securely in place. Once clicked on, it is designed to stay on even if the cup is accidentally tipped over. This solution is also designed to provide a good balance between food and packaging waste, by eliminating the separate foil lid. The simple design can reduce material usage and carbon footprint of the packaging. It can be produced from the same material as the cup (eg, PP), to enhance recyclability and contribute to more sustainable packaging solutions for brands. It was also awarded two 2026 WorldStar Packaging Awards during interpack.

 

Bronze

The SAVE FOOD Design Bronze winner is Innoscentia (Sweden) for SpoilGuard Real-Time Spoilage Detection. The sensor is designed to reveal food freshness in real time and detect
spoilage for consumers. It does not detect temperature history or pH, but rather the measures the food itself across the full value chain. There is a visual colour change that occurs on the pack if spoilage detected.

The 2026 Sustainability Design winners

The Sustainability Design Awards recognise products, machines, systems and services that make a positive environmental impact and have a reduced CO₂ footprint.

Gold

The 2026 Sustainability Design Gold winner is ALFA Machine Kourtoglou (Greece) for its next-generation form-fill-seal (FFS) packaging technology. The system has been designed as 100% mono material PP, which means the cup, lidding film and in-mould label are all made from the same material to ensure improved recyclability in the same recycling stream. Suitable for single packs and multipacks in a range of cup and tub shapes, the system is designed to prioritise recyclability and to provide a lower environmental impact for the brands. The technology integrates advanced in-mould labelling applied from a reel, using BOPP labels that decorate all sides of the cup during production while maintaining full material compatibility. Designed to perform under both cold and hot-fill conditions, the packaging is suitable for a range of food applications including: yoghurt, desserts, cream cheese, tomato paste, fruit purées, sauces and processed foods.

Silver

The 2026 Sustainability Design Silver winner is Irplast (TOPPAN) for its 100% mono material recyclable pouch developed by combining IRPLAST’s special thermostable films with TOPPAN’s GL BARRIER film technology. The combination allows the solution to endure retort processing while offering the same level of protection as traditional multi-layer pouches. The ultra-thin transparent barrier helps preserve the packaging performance without compromising compatibility with plastic recycling processes. The outer layer, barrier layer and sealing layer of the pouch are all made of polypropylene, making the solution compatible with the PP recycling stream.

Bronze

The 2026 Sustainability Design Bronze winner is AeroFlexx Packaging (USA) for its AeroFlexx Pak that has been designed as a flexible pack that acts like a rigid bottle. The pack is claimed to eliminate up to 85% of virgin plastic compared to a traditional rigid bottle, cap and label, which is made possible by reducing plastics by 70% and incorporating up to 50% recycled content. The new solution is kerbside recyclable where plastic bottles are accepted. It has been recognised for recyclability through the Association of Plastic recyclers (APR).