Disposable plastic food trays allow businesses to store frozen foods until serving time. Many plastic food trays have heat tolerances that allow you to heat them in the microwave or in a conventional oven. The type of plastic the manufacturer used determines each trays heat tolerance and determines the affect on the environment.

Some of the latest plastic food trays news and trends involves the manufacturing and use of food grade plastic trays made from post-consumer recycled plastic. As you strive to stay on top of the latest news and trends in the food industry, consider the following:

1. Find out information on plastic trays made from post-consumer recycled plastic.

2. Find facilities to recycle plastic food trays.

3. Find resources to keep current with the latest trends in the food service plastic food tray arena.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the benefits of using food-grade plastic trays made from post-consumer recycled plastic

With new technology, companies are able to treat post-consumer plastics to allow recycling. Once recycled, companies then turn the recycled material into FDA approved, food-grade plastic trays for food. Using post-consumer recycled plastic will help to decrease green house emissions and save energy as well.

I recommend: Sustainable is Good has an informative article on the move by ConAgra Foods to use post-consumer recycled plastic for its disposable plastic food trays. The article has information on the benefits of using post-consumer recycled plastic for food trays. For more information on the benefits of plastic serving trays made from post-consumer recycled plastic, visit PacWebAsia.com.

Look for alternative sources on plastic food trays

Environmental groups that focus on the need for recycling often offer news and trends on products made from plastic, including plastic food platters and trays. Manufacturers that stay on the cutting-edge of the industry often offer information on the latest news and trends on their websites.

I recommend: Find tips on plastic food tray recycling at Green Nature. Also on this site is a guide for determining what types of plastics are recyclable. Genpak outlines the efforts the food industry is making to recycle more products including plastic food serving trays.

Stay up to date on the changes in plastic food serving tray trends

Changes in the food packaging industry change regularly. There will always be innovative minds that invent ways to keep food fresher and the environment cleaner. In order for you to remain informed and stay on top of the latest trends, look to resources that regularly track food industry packaging trends.

I recommend: QSR Magazine frequently updates its website with the current trends in the food packaging industry. It's a resource for keeping up to date on companies providing new packaging options, as well as tracking the trends that large food providers are choosing. The Ag Marketing Resource Center is also a great place to find up-to-date information on plastic trays for restaurants.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before purchasing bulk quantities of plastic food trays, obtain samples of a variety of trays first, so you can compare the quality versus cost.

Plastic food serving trays are a necessity in the food service business. Available in a variety of sizes and materials, plastic trays for food allow servers to easily distribute food to customers and showcase food for sale. Plastic food trays offer an environmentally-friendly way to serve food.

Offering a selection of plastic food trays to your customers is the key to meeting the unique needs of each client. Stocking different sizes of plastic trays and disposable plastic food trays in a range of prices offers your customers the variety of plastic trays for food they need. When stocking your business with food grade plastic trays, you should:

1. Buy wholesale plastic food trays in bulk quantities to receive the best price for your purchase.

2. Stock a wide variety of plastic food tray products to satisfy the diverse needs of your clients.

3. Partner with a distributor of disposable plastic food trays and plastic food storage trays who can work with you to find the trays that meet your needs and your budget.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy plastic food trays in bulk

Volume orders of the plastic food platters you need ensures you have a sufficient stock of plastic food serving trays to meet demand. Manufacturers and distributors of plastic trays often offer significant discounts on bulk orders.

I recommend: Buy disposable plastic food trays from Genpak for competitive volume prices. Find a Genpak broker in your area for a free quote. Order plastic food serving trays from Molded Fiber Glass Tray Company for an assortment of quality plastic food trays offered for bulk prices.

Stock an assortment of plastic food trays

The needs of your customers vary. Be prepared to meet those unique needs by stocking a variety of plastic trays. Plastic buffet food trays, plastic trays for restaurants, clear plastic food tray products and fast food plastic trays are ideal to stock in your business.

I recommend: Buy plastic food trays from United States Plastic Corporation for a selection of styles to suit your needs. Big Tray offers a variety of plastic food serving trays at prices to fit any budget.

Partner with a reputable distributor of plastic trays for food

An experienced plastic food tray distributor can work with you to assess your plastic food tray needs and help you to stock your business with plastic food serving trays that fit your budget.

I recommend: Cafeteria Tray Store, an online distributor of a variety of plastic food serving trays, offers the selection of plastic trays you need and the customer service you deserve. While no minimum purchase is required, large orders can receive special discounts. Foodservicedirect.com offers a selection of plastic trays for food at competitive, discounted prices. Set up an account online for easy ordering and to track your shipments.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Choose plastic food serving trays that are environmentally friendly to promote recycling.
• •  Inspect the wholesale plastic food trays that interest you before you commit to a bulk purchase to ensure you are satisfied with the quality of the products.

If you serve food to employees or customers, you will almost certainly find yourself saving money on plastic food trays instead of more expensive plates or aluminum or cardboard trays. Plastic food trays are the most cost-effective type of serving tray because they last a long time and are reusable. Even single-use plastic food trays are cheaper than trays of other materials.

Average plastic food trays cost between $1.50 and $3 a tray. But are there ways to make the purchase of plastic food trays even more cost effective? You bet. There are three main ways to save money on wholesale plastic food trays:

1. Buy plastic food trays in bulk.

2. Purchase basic food grade plastic trays.

3. Select plastic food storage trays from restaurant wholesalers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy plastic food serving trays in bulk

Buying in bulk is an easy way to get the best price on plastic trays. Of course, you don't want to buy more trays than you'll actually use, but do buy more than you think you need. Although plastic serving trays are quite durable, some will eventually break or become dingy. You may also find you have more people needing your services in the future. Be sure to obtain samples first so you can gain a better understanding of the tray's quality before ordering a large amount.

I recommend: Rapids Wholesale Equipment Company sells multicolored plastic cafeteria trays in cases. ReStockIt.com also sells plastic trays for food in bulk to qualifying businesses.

Purchase basic plastic buffet food trays

There are many fancy fast food plastic trays available; some have multiple compartments or sections and a few even have detachable compartments. But do you really need such elaborate (and expensive) trays? If plain food trays without compartments will do the job just as well, save yourself some money by purchasing them at a significantly lower price.

I recommend: Ace Mart sells several kinds of basic plastic trays for restaurants, as does The WEBstaurant Store.

Select disposable plastic food trays from restaurant wholesalers

Unless you can buy in large numbers, the cheapest place to buy plastic disposable food trays is at a restaurant supply store. Look for a company that frequently sells to professional caterers, as they are most likely to have a wide variety of disposable trays. Often, online restaurant supply companies offer better deals because they can purchase in larger bulk.

I recommend: GalaSource Ventures sells a variety of disposable plastic food trays at wholesale prices. Instawares offers plastic disposable hinged trays, as well as trays with separate lids.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When purchasing plastic food serving trays, be sure to ask the manufacturer or distributor whether or not the trays are recyclable. Some are, and others are not.

Plastic trays are widely used in the food industry. They can be found in cafeterias, restaurants, delis, bakeries, supermarkets, hotels and catering establishments. As you shop for plastic food trays, it is unlikely that you'll find many terms that confuse you. However, you'll find plastic trays are designed for specific purposes, and understanding the terms used to describe those purposes can help you find the right trays for your needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Display pans

Display pans are plastic trays used for displaying food items, usually within a glass fronted case. They are frequently seen in bakeries, delis and supermarkets.

I recommend: Molded Fiber Glass Tray Company describes the common uses of display pans.

Cafeteria trays

Cafeteria trays are plastic reusable trays used as large, compartmentalized plates. Sometimes non-compartmentalized plastic trays, designed to hold plastic or paper dishes, are also called cafeteria trays.

I recommend: Time.com discusses the hot topic of food waste related to the use of cafeteria trays.

Nonskid tray

Nonskid trays are used for serving food and beverages. They are made of plastic and have a nonskid surface preventing spills and accidents.

I recommend: The WEBstraunt Store describes the make up of a typical nonskid tray.

Cork trays

Cork trays are plastic, rimmed trays lined with cork. The cork helps prevent slipping and absorbs small amounts of fluid from food or drinks.

I recommend: Carlisle describes the general make up of a typical cork tray.

Serving trays

Serving trays are plastic, rimmed trays used by servers to carry drinks and plates of food. They are also used to serve plates of food on food carts, such as in a hotel setting.

I recommend: Architectural Plastics describes and shows common serving trays.

Proofing tray

To proof while baking is to allow bread or other items with yeast to sit and rise. Proofing trays are plastic trays where bakers place breads or other goods to allow them to rise.

I recommend: Losurdo Foods explains how to properly proof their pizza dough on proofing trays.