Biodegradable Food Packaging for Catering Platters
If you're looking for biodegradable food packaging for a catering or grazing order, build it from materials you can name: a sugarcane platter or a brown corrugated catering tray to carry the food, plus a kraft paper cutlery pouch with a napkin and a bamboo fork for each guest. This guide shows how to pack a shared-platter function item by item, using guest and platter counts you work out yourself.
Key takeaways
- For grazing tables, the 16in Sugarcane Plate – Unbleached Platter (Carton of 100) measures 400x400x50mm and costs $134.40 per carton, $1.34 each.
- For office catering that has to travel, the 80mm Corrugated Plate – Brown Rectangle Catering Tray Large High Sides (Carton of 50) measures 560x255x80mm and costs $69.81 per carton, $1.40 each.
- Give every guest a Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) and a Bamboo Cutlery – Fork (Carton of 2000).
- Everything is sold by the carton, with no minimum order, and each product page shows carton price and price per item.
What packaging does a grazing or office catering order need?
A shared-platter order needs three things: something to carry the food, something to close or cover it in transit, and something for each guest to eat with. Plan those three layers first, then add small extras such as dip cups and take-home boxes.
For the food itself, choose between a sugarcane platter and a corrugated tray. For transit, a brown cardboard catering tray sleeve covers a tray; check the sleeve's 255x80x110mm size against the tray you use. For guests, a kraft paper cutlery pouch with a napkin and a bamboo fork keep each setting tidy. For dips, sauces and small portions on the platter, the 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) costs $128.23 per carton, $0.06 each.
Sugarcane packaging is moulded from bagasse, the fibre left over after sugarcane is crushed. Corrugated and kraft packaging are paper-based, and bamboo cutlery is made from bamboo. Describing your packaging by its material is clearer for clients than a general eco label, and it matches the material listed on each product page.
Sugarcane platter or corrugated catering tray: which suits the function?
Use the sugarcane platter when the food is being laid out on a table and served straight from the board, and use the corrugated tray when the order has to be carried, stacked or delivered to an office. The platter is a square 400x400x50mm board in a natural, unbleached finish; the tray is a long 560x255x80mm brown corrugated tray with high sides.
The tray's high sides suit sandwiches, wraps and pastries laid out in rows for a delivered order. The platter's shallower edge suits cheese, fruit, charcuterie and grazing spreads where guests reach in from every side. The corrugated tray and the tray sleeve are both available with custom printing, so caterers can put a logo on the tray that sits in the client's boardroom; the sugarcane platter is sold plain.
Here is how the catering items compare, using the carton and per-item prices on each product page:
| Product | Size / material | Carton qty | Carton price | Price per item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16in Sugarcane Plate – Unbleached Platter | 400x400x50mm, Sugarcane | 100 | $134.40 | $1.34 |
| 80mm Corrugated Plate – Brown Rectangle Catering Tray Large High Sides | 560x255x80mm, Corrugated | 50 | $69.81 | $1.40 |
| Plate – Brown Catering Tray Sleeve Medium-Large | 255x80x110mm, Cardboard | 50 | $12.82 | $0.26 |
| Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin | 75x190mm, Paper | 1000 | $143.72 | $0.14 |
| Bamboo Cutlery – Fork | 170mm, Bamboo | 2000 | $106.21 | $0.05 |
| 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached | 2oz, Sugarcane | 2000 | $128.23 | $0.06 |
| 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell | 229x152x75mm, Sugarcane | 200 | $34.85 | $0.17 |
How do I work out how much to order for a function?
Count per function, not per carton: work out how many platters or trays the menu needs and how many guests will eat, then order cartons that cover those counts with a margin for spares. Because there is no minimum order, you can order exactly the cartons a booking calls for.
A simple per-function method:
- Platters or trays: list each menu item and decide how many fit on one board or tray when you lay it out in your kitchen. Divide the menu across boards to get the platter count for the job.
- Sleeves: match one sleeve to each corrugated tray that leaves your premises, and check the sleeve dimensions against your tray before a large booking.
- Guest settings: one cutlery pouch and one fork per guest, plus spares for guests who go back for seconds.
- Dip cups: one sugarcane cup per dip or sauce on each platter.
- Take-home boxes: a few clamshells for leftovers, if your client asks for them.
Write these counts against the per-item price in the table above and you have the packaging cost for that function before you quote it.
How do I pack cutlery and napkins for each guest?
Set one Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) per guest and add a Bamboo Cutlery – Fork (Carton of 2000), so each setting stays together on the buffet table. The pouch is brown kraft paper, 75x190mm, at $143.72 per carton, $0.14 each, and the fork is 170mm bamboo at $106.21 per carton, $0.05 each.
Pre-packing the pouches in the kitchen saves time at set-up and keeps cutlery off the food. Stack the finished pouches in a spare corrugated tray beside the platters. The cutlery pouch is also available with custom printing, which puts your business name in front of every guest.
Which one should I buy?
Match the product to how the food is served and how far it travels:
- Grazing tables, events and functions served on site: the 16in Sugarcane Plate – Unbleached Platter (Carton of 100), with 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) cups for dips and sauces.
- Office catering, sandwich and wrap platters delivered by van: the 80mm Corrugated Plate – Brown Rectangle Catering Tray Large High Sides (Carton of 50), plus the Plate – Brown Catering Tray Sleeve Medium-Large (Carton of 50) at $12.82 per carton, $0.26 each, once you have checked its 255x80x110mm size against your tray.
- Every guest at every function: a kraft cutlery pouch with napkin and a bamboo fork.
- Leftovers and individual portions: the 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200), 229x152x75mm, at $34.85 per carton, $0.17 each.
If you also run a takeaway counter, compare materials in our takeaway container material guide, and see the small takeaway containers guide for side and sauce portions. The full range of boxes and clamshells is on the takeaway containers page.
How do ordering, delivery and returns work?
There is no minimum order, so you can buy a single carton of platters for one booking. Delivery: metro $35 flat, free on orders over $750; regional $75 flat, free over $1,000. Delivery time: 3–5 business days to capital cities, 4–6 business days regional, so order ahead of a function date.
All orders are prepaid online. Prices include GST. Returns: unopened full cartons within 14 days of delivery (customer pays return freight); damaged or faulty items replaced or refunded free. When you know your counts, add your cartons on the quick order page.
Setting up or restocking your packaging?
Send us your list for a trade quote, or price it yourself in the cost calculator.
No minimum order · free delivery over $750 (metro) / $1000 (regional) · 14-day returns · Delivery details
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