Expert Tips For Choosing the Right Take Out Food Containers For Your Business

Take Out Food Containers: Balancing Cost, Quality, And Sustainability

Selecting the right take out food containers for your restaurant is about balancing low costs, quality, ecological impact, and food safety. 

The take out industry is booming, driven by convenience and a growing demand for ready-to-eat meals. 

Choosing take out food containers is crucial to ensuring that your restaurant meets the proper criteria for the rising demand. 

This blog explores the materials, safety and quality factors, and sustainability issues surrounding take out food containers. 

It’s a guide to help you choose the right take out boxes for your coffee shop or restaurant, benefiting both your bottom line and the planet. 

What are Takeout Food Containers?

Takeout food containers are to-go boxes made from various materials designed to keep food fresh and uncontaminated. 

Their versatility means you can package anything, including soups, desserts, beverages, and foods. 

Take out boxes are made to handle hot and cold food, allowing customers to enjoy your recipes wherever they go. 

What Are Takeout Containers Made Of?

Take out food containers are made from different materials that can help meet a unique need for your restaurant. 

Some popular materials for food packaging boxes include: 

Plastic

Plastic is one of the most famous and long-standing materials used in food packaging. 

Plastic has faced much criticism due to its non-biodegradable nature. However, the goalposts have shifted as technology has improved, bringing about recyclable plastic materials. 

The main types of plastic take out food containers include: 

– PET:

PET is short for polyethylene terephthalate, commonly used to make clear containers and beverage bottles. 

PET is preferred for its properties, such as recyclability, strength, and lightweight nature. It is suitable for cold and warm foods.

– PP:

Polypropylene(PP) is a heat-resistant plastic that is the best choice for hot foods and drinks. 

It’s also microwave-safe and can handle cold temperatures in refrigeration. 

– PS:

Polystyrene(PS), also used in making Styrofoam, is a plastic famous for its excellent insulation properties. 

Like Styrofoam, it is not a preferred takeout box material due to its negative environmental impact. It takes years to decompose and has potential health risks through chemical leaching. 

Paper and Cardboard

Paper take out containers are made from various materials such as cardboard, kraft, and parchment paper. 

This type can handle various foods, from hot and cold to messy or greasy fried foods.

It’s a food packaging material long used in milk and milk-based products. 

Paper take out boxes have a waterproof aqueous or plastic coating that helps maintain their integrity. The unique coating also helps prevent leaks and maintain food quality. 

Due to its biodegradable or compostable nature, the material is regarded as more environmentally friendly than plastics and styrofoam. 

The only limitation could be the coating, which may impact the recycling process. 

Biodegradable and Compostable Materials

Compostable and biodegradable food containers are the top contenders for businesses seeking to reduce their ecological footprint drastically. 

They are materials that break down fast without leaving residues in the environment. 

Their compostable nature means less landfill waste, hence a cleaner environment. 

Compostable food packaging boxes are mostly made from plant-based materials such as sugarcane fiber or bagasse. 

The material is durable and functional for various restaurant uses. Best of all, it degrades into soil when correctly disposed of in a composting facility. 

With all these materials available in the market, two questions arise: Are they affordable, and how functional are they?

Let’s start by understanding the price implications of any of these products.

How Affordable Are Eco-Friendly Take Out Boxes?

The food and restaurant industries are associated with thin margins; hence, costs are a significant factor for such businesses. 

The cost implications of takeaway containers are direct and indirect, ranging from the buying price to waste management costs and everything in between.

Some of the considerations when buying take out food containers for your business include:

• What are the volumes for takeouts?
• Level and duration of freshness and insulation
• The need for marketing and branding 
• Strength of materials such as impact resistance and packaging rigor 
•  Storage space convenience hence features such as stackability and easy denesting
• Environmental costs such as disposal and landfill fees.

The right takeout boxes should mitigate all, if not most, of the aforementioned costs to be an economical option for your businesses.

In most cases, you may need more than one type of food packaging solution to ensure your operations run smoothly. 

Here are affordable and reliable food packaging solutions for your food business from QNP Supplies:

1. Compostable Food Containers

Our compostable take out food containers and utensils are made from sugarcane pulp material and bamboo, respectively. 

They are 100% compostable materials, allowing your business to meet its sustainability goals. 

Our range of compostable take out containers includes bowls, hinged containers, cups, and plates. 

We also have compostable utensils, such as bamboo forks, knives, and spoons, that are similar to or more durable than traditional plastic utensils. 

Our compostable take out containers measure up to the competition thanks to their properties such as:

• Leakproof: We sell our compostable bowls with lids that snap tight, preventing spills and leaks. 

Our hinged containers ensure the lid stays on for added convenience, enhancing the customer and packaging experience. 

• Heat-resistance: The compostable plates and bowls can handle hot and cold food without losing structural integrity.

Moreover, they are microwave and freezer-safe for added convenience in storing or packaging food in busy environments. 

• Durability: These disposable containers have a rigid construction that can overcome the rigors of delivery and packaging, such as stacking.

They also have good impact resistance and don’t fail when serving foods.

2. Paper Products

Considering their rigidity and versatility, paper food containers Canada are the go-to packaging supplies for restaurants and coffee shops. 

They work well for high-traffic restaurants as they are stackable, and most are collapsible, taking up less storage space. 

Regarding environmental impacts, paper disposable food containers made from recycled or recyclable materials reduce pollution and the burden on landfills. 

Our stock of affordable disposable food containers includes portion cups, noodle boxes, bowls, and paper straws.

They are an ideal Eco-friendly food packaging solution due to several properties such as:

• Durability: They are collapsible take out food containers with a surprisingly rigid frame during food packaging. 

They resist tearing and puncturing and can withstand the stresses during transportation and handling. 

• Versatility: They can easily handle different types of food, be it hot or cold, greasy or wet. Their rigid structure also makes them the best for handling delicate pastries.
• Cost-effectiveness: Paper takeout boxes are a relatively cheap, eco-friendly solution. 

Due to their fair price range and lowered storage costs, they are the best option when buying bulk take out food containers. 

• Natural Aesthetic: Paper take out containers have a natural brown color, providing a rustic charm that can enhance food presentation. 

They are also the ideal canvas for customized printing, marketing your brand visually and as an eco-frontier. 

3. Plastic Take Out Boxes

Plastic food containers Canada provide a cheap food packaging solution that is reliable and functional.

Due to their associated environmental concerns, they are the antiheroes of food packaging. Hence, they should be deployed in special-use scenarios where other packaging solutions may fail. 

Fortunately, technological advancements have opened access to recyclable plastic, lowering environmental impact. 

QNP Supplies focuses on FDA-compliant and BPA-free plastic containers, ensuring food safety for your customers.

Plastic take out food boxes work well for high-traffic restaurants, providing many use cases due to their properties such as:

• Reliability: Plastic take out boxes are known to be inert; therefore, they don’t affect the food quality. 

They are also ideal for food packaging as they are stackable and impact-resistant. 

• Durability: The take out food containers hold well under extreme temperatures, hot or cold. This attribute also makes them microwave—and freezer-safe.  

Our focus at QNP Supplies is environmental packaging solutions for restaurants and coffee shops. 

One of the main concerns with eco-friendly disposable containers is functionality, especially regarding hot foods. 

This concern raises the question…

Are Takeout Containers Safe for Hot Food?

Most environmentally-friendly food take out containers don’t do well when in contact with hot foods. 

The concern is most potent, especially with plastic containers, believed to leach chemicals into the food. Some of these chemicals include harmful BPA (bisphenol A). 

At QNP Supplies, we focus on FDA-approved, BPA-free, plastic food takeout containers.

For paper take out food boxes, checking the manufacturer’s guidelines helps identify the best product for hot foods. The same applies to compostable food containers. 

Buy Take out Food Containers Canada with QNP Supplies

Buying take out food containers wholesale Canada with QNP Supplies is a step closer to achieving a balance in cost, quality, and sustainability. 

Considering the fragile profit margins in the food business industry, it’s a delicate balance that demands the right food packaging solutions partner.

We offer quality, eco-friendly take out containers wholesale at competitive prices, so you can stock up without breaking the bank. 

Visit our site today or contact us for a personalized quote on Canada’s best take out boxes.