​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Keeping food safe and nutritious with nothing but a package.

How can a carton keep food safe, full of flavour and bursting with nutritional value for months on the shelf? With an innovative approach to sterile packaging, plus our multi-layered material, even the most sensitive of foods will stand the test of time.

A long-lasting product without preservatives

We all want to know our food and beverages are safe, fresh and full of nutrition and flavour when they reach us. Tetra Pak’s highly sterile aseptic packaging solutions ensure products have at least six-months shelf life without the need for refrigeration or preservatives. 

Our aseptic process ensures that both food and packaging materials are free of harmful bacteria when food is packaged. Everything in the production chain must be commercially sterile. That includes food and packaging materials, all machinery and the environment in which the packaging takes place. ​​​Read more about Tetra Pak’s aseptic packaging solutions​​

Woman drinking juice

A multi-layered approach to freshness

Tetra Pak carton packages are formed from several layers of material selected for their strength, protective qualities and sustainability. Keeping food fresher for longer.

The core packaging material is renewably sourced paperboard – just enough to make the package stable, while being as light as possible. The board is flanked on either side by polythene – on the outside to​ protect against external moisture and on the inside to enable the paperboard to stick to the next layer - aluminium foil. Aluminium foil protects against oxygen and light and maintains the nutritional value and flavours of the contents. Two further layers of polythene on the innermost surface separate the food from the aluminium and add further protection.
Read more about the materials in our cartons

Although the packages are made of mixed materials, modern recycling methods can separate the layers so the individual materials can be recycled and reused.
Read more about recycling Tetra Pak cartons

Layers packaging material

Solutions for the most sensitive products

Tetra Pak cartons with their layered materials engineered to protect against moisture, light and air, optimise even the most sensitive of foods. More sustainable and protective than glass, lighter and easier to transport than tin, Tetra Pak cartons offer the ideal, modern packaging solution. ​​

Olive oil, an extremely sensitive product, is one great example of how Tetra Pak’s cartons protect and preserve. To stop olive oil oxidising, going rancid or losing vitamin E due to light and air exposure, it’s very important to package it correctly.​

Food processing

Before the aseptic packaging the food or beverage product is in most cases processed. The processing includes for example pasteurization or heat treatment - processing methods to make products safe to eat or drink and increase shelf life.

Read more about pasteurization and heat treatment to keep food safe