At El Carmen Packaging Solutions we reinforce Sacovitta’s potential to fight food waste with laboratory-tested results

Immersed in our Circular Commitment for more than a decade, we continuously invest in facility, process and product improvements to help reduce our carbon footprint and ensure sustainability, which is now focused on combating household food waste.

Sacovitta is one of the star products of El Carmen Packaging Solutions. Present in more than 14 countries, with 240,000 units sold by 2025, and with three patented models on the market (vacuum, resealable and watertight), its main features are particularly suitable for combating one of the retail sector’s pending challenges: food waste.

The facts are clear: in Spain, households generate the vast majority of food waste. If we look at the fresh meat segment, the trend is concerning. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), fresh meat waste in households increased by 12% compared to the previous year, even though overall food waste in households was decreasing*. According to the recent report “Food waste in Spain”, cold meats and fresh meat account for 2.9% and 2.6% respectively of the products that make up household waste.

 “We know that Sacovitta can be a great aid to complying with some of the basic recommendations to avoid this waste that has such a high cost, not only economically, but also in terms of energy consumption and the environment. For this reason, we wanted to demonstrate with specific tests that, as well as helping to improve the planning of purchases and consumption, allowing the correct freezing of products, and having a reduced size, Sacovitta is ideal for improving food preservation,” said Pedro Rubio, Managing Director of El Carmen Packaging Solutions.

Sacovitta’s Zero Barrier protection for better food preservation

In line with the demands of a society that is increasingly aware of the impact of its consumption, and an administration that is increasingly committed to this, as demonstrated by the Spanish Government’s Law 1/2025 on food loss and waste prevention, El Carmen’s R&D Department wanted to demonstrate through laboratory testing the suitability of the different Sacovitta models for preserving and prolonging food in optimum conditions. To this end, we have entrusted the laboratory of the specialised consultancy Ambical** to carry out freshness and organoleptic properties preservation tests on one of the most consumed meat products in Spanish households and which, due to its characteristics, deteriorates most rapidly, namely cooked ham.

The evolution of this sliced product in two different food wrappings, standard food paper and Sacovitta, was studied. Similar samples were stored under the same real conditions of domestic use, storing sliced cooked ham in a refrigerator.

The results are conclusive. Over the days, it could be appreciated that Sacovitta, thanks to its sealing system and material properties, creates a barrier that provides better insulation of the product from the air and microbiological components of the cold storage. This demonstrates a lower incidence of bacteria in the product, as well as a better preservation of its appearance and organoleptic properties.

This is stated in the conclusions of the report provided by Ambical:

A higher bacterial growth was detected over the days of cooked ham stored in paper wrappings than in Sacovitta bags.

Paper wrappings, because they are not sealed, allow more oxygen and air to enter from the outside, so the samples deteriorated faster, as it is easier to contaminate the cold meat. On the other hand, the qualities of the materials in the Sacovitta bag and the adhesive sealing allow for less oxygen and air ingress from the outside so that the sample showed a slower deterioration in case of contamination, and better preservation of the cold meat due to the better maintenance of the humidity conditions of the samples.

This data reinforces Sacovitta’s ability to help meet many of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s recommendations to reduce food waste, such as: shopping planning, proper portion calculation, proper storage of leftovers, and proper preservation. It is precisely for this last point, where the Sacovitta sealing system is particularly efficient, that the ZERO BARRIER concept has been created, emphasising the importance of using this sealing system properly for better product preservation, guaranteeing product quality and food safety.

“We wanted to demonstrate with objective data that Sacovitta is not only practical, but that it really helps to preserve food better and reduce waste in the home, with the economic and environmental impact that this entails,” concludes Pedro Rubio, Managing Director of El Carmen Packaging Solutions.

* According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA): 1,214.76 million kg/litres (kg-l) of food and beverages were wasted in 2023, of which approximately 1,183.42 million kg-l occurred at home. Of this household total, 77.6% corresponds to unused products (i.e. food thrown away without being prepared) and 22.4% to prepared recipes or dishes that are discarded after preparation. Food waste in Spain” report 2024.

** Conclusions drawn from the laboratory study carried out by the external consultant Ambical (July 2025).