Eco Packaging for Meal Prep and Delivery-Only Kitchens

For meal prep and delivery-only kitchens, the eco packaging that works is the kind that stacks flat in a bag, closes without fuss and survives the trip: a PLA-coated paper lunch box for full meals, a sugarcane clamshell for hot mains, a PLA-coated noodle box for single bowls and a corrugated snack box for sides. Add a kraft cutlery pouch to every order so the customer has what they need when the food arrives. Every item below is sold by the carton, so you can stock your eco packaging supplies in one order.

Key takeaways

• Choose containers by how they close and stack in a delivery bag, then by material.
• The PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Lunch Box Extra Large (Carton of 200) suits full meal-prep portions; the 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200) suits hot mains.
• Test every container with your own meals, packed and carried the way your drivers carry them, before you commit to a full carton run.
• One Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) per order covers cutlery and a napkin in a single pick.
• Sold by the carton; each product page shows carton price and price per item.

What eco packaging suits a delivery-only kitchen?

Packaging made from paper, sugarcane fibre or corrugated board, in shapes that close firmly and stack square. Every container has to hold its shape from the pass to the customer's door.

Sugarcane packaging, often called bagasse, is moulded from the fibre left over after sugarcane is crushed. PLA-coated paper is paperboard with a plant-based lining on the food-contact side. Corrugated board is fluted paperboard, which gives it rigidity.

Which containers stack and travel best?

Square or rectangular containers with flat lids stack and travel better than round ones, because they sit flush against each other in a bag. Pick the container that matches the meal's shape, not just its volume.

• The PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Lunch Box Extra Large (Carton of 200) measures 197x140x90mm. Its rectangular footprint makes it a natural base layer in a delivery bag or meal-prep crate.
• The 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200) measures 229x152x75mm. It is a sugarcane clamshell that suits a hot main laid flat.
• The 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 1000) is a smaller, upright format for single serves and sides, best carried standing up beside the larger boxes.
• The Corrugated Takeaway Container – Brown Snack Box Large Plain (Carton of 200) measures 205x106x76mm and is made from corrugated board, a good fit for chips, wings and shared sides.

For sauces and dressings, the 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) is a small sugarcane cup for a portion of sauce. For a small salad or side, the 4oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Bowl (Carton of 1000) is made from bamboo fibre with a PLA coating.

How do I test closures and stacking with my own meals?

Order the formats you are considering, pack your real menu into them and run a delivery trial before you switch your whole range. The details of your food, such as how saucy, steamy or heavy it is, matter more than any product description.

A simple method:

1. Pack the real meal. Use your actual portion, temperature and sauce, filled to your normal line.

2. Close it the way staff will in a rush. Note whether the lid or flaps close in one movement, and whether they stay shut when you lift the box by its sides.

3. Stack it. Build the tallest stack your delivery bag or meal-prep crate will hold, heaviest meals at the bottom. Check whether the bottom box bows or the lids lift.

4. Carry it. Put the stack in a delivery bag and carry it as a driver would, including a few corners and a stop.

5. Open it like a customer. Check for leaks, sauce on the lid, condensation and whether the food still looks the way you plated it.

6. Write down the result. Note which container passed for which dish.

Repeat the test for any dish that is wetter, hotter or heavier than the rest.

What should go in every delivery order?

A cutlery pouch, so the customer can eat straight away without hunting for a fork. Delivery customers often eat at a desk or on the go.

The Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) is a paper pouch, 75x190mm, that holds cutlery and a white napkin in one pack. One pouch per order keeps packing to a single pick. If you prefer to pack a single piece, the Bamboo Cutlery – Fork (Carton of 2000) is a 170mm bamboo fork.

How do these options compare?

The table below lists carton quantity, carton price and price per item for each container and pack-in covered above.

Which one should I buy?

Start with the container your best-selling dish needs, then add the sides and pack-ins around it.

• Meal-prep kitchens selling weekly packs: the PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Lunch Box Extra Large (Carton of 200) for each meal, with a 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) for dressings so salads stay crisp.
• Delivery-only burger and grill kitchens: the 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200) for mains and the Corrugated Takeaway Container – Brown Snack Box Large Plain (Carton of 200) for chips and wings.
• Asian and noodle-led menus: the 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 1000) for single serves and sides, with the lunch box for larger combo meals.
• Every kitchen: one Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000) in each bag.

If you sell through delivery apps, the lunch box, snack box and cutlery pouch are all available with custom printing; see custom printing. For more on stocking up, read our guide to buying takeaway containers in bulk, or see small takeaway containers for sides and sauces. You can browse the full range of takeaway containers.

How does ordering work?

There is no minimum order, so you can buy a single carton of each format to run your own test. Delivery is a flat fee set by your postcode, and free once an order passes a set amount; checkout shows the exact cost, and today's rates are on the shipping page. Delivery takes 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days regional. All orders are prepaid online. Damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free; unopened stock cartons can be returned within 7 days of delivery (10% restocking fee, return delivery at your cost). When you know what you need, the quick order page is the fastest way to reorder.

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) · damaged items replaced free · Delivery details