Food delivery is here to stay, but there can be no doubt that this evolving channel raises questions on the best approaches to take.

“People want their daily lunch in the home office and dinner with kids at home to be quicker and healthy at the same time. Locally sourced, organic, vegetarian or vegan,” says Joachim Schertl, senior product manager for Thermohauser, the German company that commissioned a survey among 1,000 employees regarding their current nutritional situation when working from home. It found that more than one third is unhappy with their nutrition compared to the former workplace, where either canteens or restaurants were nearby.

“There is still an enormous potential in the food market, which remains untapped. Excessive amounts of disposable packaging are still being produced and used, which leads to continuous pollution of the environment. Since January 2023 European caterers, delivery services and restaurants with more than five employees and a retail area of over 80 square metres are required to offer reusable containers as an additional alternative to disposable containers for food and drink orders. This is exactly where our solutions starts. Over the last few years we have been working hard on developing reusable packaging for consumers and catering that is being produced with high standards and quality in Germany. No importing, no long-distance shipping. Sustainable and innovative design that also meets customers’ needs.”

Their containers come in different sizes and colours, they are perfectly stackable, and the lid is transparent so that the contents can easily be identified. They are 100% recyclable, microwaveable and dishwasher safe.

“Food delivery is a constantly evolving sector,” says Jessica Sestito, marketing manager of Gruppo SDS. “One of the main new developments is the demand for packaging that doesn’t just cover traditional mealtimes. Now people are ordering pastries and other bakery items and snacks at all times of the day.”

Customers are more concerned about environmental sustainability both in the product itself (ideally zero miles, to protect both the planet and the workers) and in packaging. “In the professional food service sector too there are more and more single-use items made of biodegradable, compostable materials, like PLA (polylactic acid), materBi, wood and cellulose pulp.”

Certification also plays a part here. “Our company has FSC certification, a label that has taken on primary importance in Italy too in the forestry products market: wood, paper and also non-wood products. More and more companies want to know about the origin of the products we sell: the FSC label certifies that it has come from a responsibly managed forest and supply chain.”

SDS has produced a catalogue of takeaway products, plates made of cellulose pulp, delivery boxes and trays made of a kind of card that meets the required hygiene standards. “The articles we have successfully launched include tamper-proof labels and seals: details such as ingredients, allergens, calories and the production company name can be printed on these, providing a guarantee for customers.”