IN Brief:
- ULMA Packaging UK will exhibit fresh produce packaging technology at the BLSA Open Day.
- The VTI640 VFFS system uses Venturi technology for delicate leafy salad applications.
- Material reduction, seal protection, rework reduction, and automation remain central to fresh produce packing.
ULMA Packaging UK will showcase vertical form fill seal technology for delicate fresh produce at the British Leafy Salads Association Open Day 2026, placing pack efficiency, product protection, and automation at the centre of its exhibit.
The event will take place on 1 July at Chadwell Park Farm, Great Chatwell, Newport, Shropshire. ULMA will feature its VTI640 Vertical Form Fill Seal system with patented Venturi technology, designed for loose leaf salad and other delicate fresh produce applications.
The Venturi system uses air movement to pull light produce down into the bag, reducing the risk of leaves becoming trapped in the cross seal. ULMA says the system can shorten pack length by more than 20%, reducing material use and packaging cost, while also cutting rework by more than 15% through smoother, faster operation.
Fresh produce packing has to balance speed, product protection, hygiene, and presentation in a narrow operating window. Leafy salads, herbs, and light vegetables are fragile, inconsistent in shape, and sensitive to bruising, compression, moisture, and seal contamination. A packing line has to protect the product while still delivering the throughput, shelf life, and pack integrity required by retailers.
Seal contamination remains one of the most persistent problems in bagged salads. Leaves caught in the seal area can weaken closure, create rejects, shorten shelf life, or increase leakage risk. Rework then adds labour, slows output, and increases handling damage. Air-assisted product movement targets a practical loss point in fresh produce packing rather than a marginal presentation issue.
Barry Cox, regional sales manager — produce at ULMA Packaging UK, said the BLSA Open Day gives the company a chance to engage with growers, processors, and packaging professionals in the leafy salads sector. He said ULMA would show how its technologies can improve efficiency, reduce waste, and maintain product presentation and shelf life.
The VFFS focus reflects growing pressure on fresh produce operators to control material use without weakening pack performance. Salad bags are often scrutinised for plastic use, but they protect leaves, manage moisture, allow high-speed handling, provide product information, and support shelf life. Reducing pack length can lower material use and cost, provided seal integrity and product protection are maintained.
Equipment suppliers across food packaging are targeting the same practical pressures: flexibility, automation, reduced waste, and lower lifecycle cost. Recent mid-range packaging launches for meat, dairy, bakery, ready meals, and plant-based foods show how machinery development is being shaped by customers that need automation without overcomplicating operation or maintenance. ULMA’s fresh produce system applies that pressure to a more delicate category, where lightweight packs and inconsistent products make line performance harder to stabilise.
Fresh produce plants have a different automation profile from many processed food factories. Raw material variation is high, seasonality is pronounced, and product damage is immediately visible. Equipment must handle changing leaf types, cut sizes, fill weights, moisture levels, pack dimensions, and retailer specifications. A line that performs well on one salad mix may need careful adjustment for herbs, spinach, rocket, or mixed leaves.
The labour case is also strong. Packing leafy salads often involves manual handling, inspection, trimming, feeding, rework, and pack correction. Automation can reduce dependency on repetitive roles, but it has to be gentle enough not to create new waste. Mechanical design, product flow, operator access, cleaning, and changeover routines therefore shape the value of the system as much as line speed.
Hygiene and cleaning add another layer of complexity. Fresh produce is typically processed with minimal transformation and may be consumed raw, keeping contamination control, wash systems, environmental monitoring, and packaging hygiene under close scrutiny. Packaging equipment has to support cleaning regimes without creating hard-to-reach areas that trap product debris or moisture.
The BLSA Open Day setting gives the system a relevant operating context. Leafy salad producers face specific constraints around field variability, crop residues, washing, drying, cold-chain management, and short shelf-life distribution. Demonstrating packaging machinery directly to that sector should move discussion beyond headline throughput and into the production details that determine waste, rework, and pack quality.
The claimed reduction in pack length also connects with a broader packaging cost environment. Extended producer responsibility, plastic scrutiny, retailer sustainability targets, and raw material costs are pushing food businesses to remove avoidable material. In fresh produce, however, product waste can quickly outweigh savings from weaker packaging. Equipment that reduces material while improving seal quality is therefore likely to attract attention.
ULMA’s system addresses a defined industrial problem: running delicate, lightweight, high-volume products through automated bagging without trapping leaves, wasting film, or increasing rework. As fresh produce operators work through labour constraints, material pressure, and retailer specifications, incremental engineering in the packing hall can have a direct effect on cost, waste, and shelf-life performance.
