Food-Grade Packaging · MOQ 500 pcs
A rimmed tray with a printed sleeve, plus die-cut dividers cut to your own components rather than to a stock grid. Indicative $0.48–0.68 per piece at 1,000 pcs; every insert, liner and sleeve is quoted as its own line.
Overview
This is a two-part structure: a tray with a rim that holds the components, and a printed sleeve or lid that carries the branding. Keeping them separate is the point. The tray touches the food and stays a plain, food-safe board surface, while the sleeve is where the artwork, the colour and the finish live — so you are not putting ink or lamination against a component in the name of branding. Dividers are die-cut from board and set to your actual items: a sachet, a spice pot, a portion of protein, a dry garnish. Board is used by default because it is inexpensive, recyclable and can take a grease-resistant liner where one component is oily; corrugated is used for the tray that has to survive bulk transport or a stacked pallet.
It is the right choice when several components must arrive visibly separate and the box has to look considered when it is opened — recipe kits, sample and PR boxes, sweets or spice sets, catering platters. The trade-offs are honest. Every divider is an extra die and an extra line item, so a four-compartment tray costs more than a two-compartment tray and much more than a single cavity; condensation and cold-chain handling soften an uncoated board quickly, which pushes the specification towards coated board or a liner; and this is not a sealed container. If a component can leak, structure will only contain it, not stop it — for that you need a sealed pack inside the tray, and we will say so rather than let a board rim take the blame.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Components | Rimmed board tray with a printed sleeve or lid, plus die-cut dividers, shelves or platforms as required |
| Board | Folding boxboard (GC1 / GC2) for customer-facing trays; E-flute corrugated for bulk transport or stacked pallets |
| Compartments | Designed from your component list — number, footprint and height of each item — rather than from a stock grid; each variant is its own die |
| Size range | From a two-component kit tray to a multi-compartment family tray; priced per size and per compartment count |
| Sleeve or lid printed on the outer face as standard and on the inner face if you want it, quoted as a separate pass; food-contact tray surfaces stay plain | |
| Barrier | Aqueous or PLA dispersion coating, coated board, or a greaseproof liner where one component is oily or moist |
| Packing | Trays nested and flat-packed with the sleeves banded separately, so you can assemble at your own packing site |
| MOQ | 500 pcs per size and print; each insert, liner and sleeve is quoted separately |
| Lead time | 12–18 days after sample approval, plus 3–5 days for the sample |
Variants
The divider layout is fixed by your component list, so the fastest way to a quote is a photograph of a packed prototype or a list of item footprints.
The standard format: a plain food-safe tray plus a printed sleeve. Cheapest way to get branding without printing the surface that touches food.
E-flute for trays that travel in bulk, stack on a pallet or carry heavier components. Trade-off: more cost and more freight volume than a folding tray.
Board dividers that lock into the tray and hold each component apart. Trade-off: each configuration is its own die, so a change to the component list means a new insert.
The simplest version, for kits where the components can share one space. Cheapest of all the options here and usually the right answer for a first order.
A liner under the oily component so the tray itself stays clean. Trade-off: another component to place at packing, quoted as its own line.
Materials
A meal kit has two materials doing two jobs: the tray that touches food and the sleeve that carries the brand. Keeping them separate is what makes the specification simple — and the quote readable.
We will supply the destination market's required material declarations and migration test documents for the exact board, coating and ink in your specification, and we will tell you which surface carries the requirement for the components you are packing. Ask for the current certificate for the specification you are buying.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Folding boxboard (GC1 / GC2) | The default tray and divider material: inexpensive, recyclable, folds and locks without glue. Trade-off: it loses stiffness when it stays damp, which matters in cold-chain handling. |
| E-flute corrugated | Adds stiffness and crush resistance for bulk transport and stacked pallets. Trade-off: costs more, takes more volume, and prints less crisply than a folding board. |
| Coated board | A board with a moisture or grease-resistant face, used where a component is oily or slightly wet. Trade-off: a higher sheet cost and a restriction on the paper grades available. |
| Aqueous or PLA dispersion coating | The plastic-free route to grease and light moisture resistance on the tray surface. Trade-off: it resists rather than seals, so it is tested with your actual components. |
| Greaseproof liner insert | A separate liner under the oily or moist item. Trade-off: one more thing to place at packing, but the tray stays uncoated and the liner is easy to document for most markets. |
| Recycled or uncoated kraft board | A lower-cost, uncoated route with an honest material story. Trade-off: it shows oil marks quickly, so it only works when no component is greasy, and it is not suitable for direct contact with moist food in every market. |
Best for
Fixed component lists and high repurchase volume. The divider layout is designed once, then held stable so reorders skip re-approval.
Small quantities with a high presentation bar. A two-part tray and sleeve gives the unboxing effect of a rigid box at a fraction of the landed cost.
Multiple small items that must not migrate into each other. Cavities are cut to the actual containers rather than a grid, so nothing shifts in transit.
Portion sets delivered against a fixed date, where the tray has to hold shape on a van shelf and the sleeve has to carry the client's identity.
Date, nut and pastry assortments where the components have different grease loads — one oily item usually decides whether the tray needs a liner.
Sizing
A tray is sized from the component list, not from a preferred footprint. Send the footprint and height of each item plus how they are packed, and the compartment layout follows — including the clearance the tray rim needs so the sleeve slides on without catching the lid.
The indicative band is quoted against the standard food-grade box tier at 1,000 pcs. Every extra compartment, insert and liner is its own die and its own line item, so the cost of the structure rises with the number of components rather than with the size of the tray.
| Dimension | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Component clearance | Each cavity is cut to the item's footprint plus 2–3mm, so the component is held rather than loose — a loose item is what breaks a divider in transit |
| Depth | Set the tray depth from the tallest component plus the sleeve clearance. An over-deep tray wastes dimensional weight and lets components fall over |
| Compartment count | Each additional cavity is an extra cut and often an extra insert die. Two well-sized cavities usually beat four tight ones |
| Rim and sleeve fit | The rim height and the sleeve tolerance are designed together. A sleeve that is too tight is what tears print at packing time |
| Flat vs assembled freight | Trays nest flat and sleeves band separately as standard. Assembled supply is possible and changes the carton count |
Free quote
Send the basics and you will get an itemised price plus a 3D mockup with your branding.
What you get
Reply within one business day. No obligation, and no design files needed to start.
FAQ
Component lists, dividers and barrier — the three things that decide the quote.
Keep looking
One die-cut sheet, tabbed and locked without glue, on board chosen for direct food contact. Grease resistance comes from an aqueous or PLA dispersion coating, a coated board grade or a separate liner, tested with a sample of your product before the bulk run. It travels and stores flat and assembles in seconds, which is why bakeries and takeaway counters reorder it — but on this format the barrier decides the price, not the artwork.
Dates, chocolate and seasonal sweets are the second annual packaging peak for Gulf and Southeast Asian brands, and this is the structure that carries it: a rigid printed gift box outside, a food-safe die-cut or moulded tray inside. Separating the two is what makes a premium-looking box food-safe in practice — the outer box is where foil, emboss and soft-touch live, and the food never touches it. The structure is the highest unit cost in this range and the most freight-hungry, so it is planned as a season, not as a rolling order.
The large-format end of the food range: a tuck-top or self-locking box in folding board, or E-flute corrugated where the load needs stiffness. A multi-branch bakery buys this box for a fixed menu programme, so the conversation is about size, board grade and how the boxes travel — not about how many colours go on the lid. Base reinforcement, window lids and carry handles are each quoted as their own line.
Get a free quote
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination. You will get an itemised factory-direct price, a recommended structure and a 3D mockup — no design files needed to start.
Free quote
Two minutes to fill in. No design files needed to start.