Meat processor Farmer's Boy has cut sausage packaging weight and increased shelf-life after installing a new flow-wrapping line from PFM.

The Bradford-based firm, which is part of the Morrison’s group, has installed a an inverted, bottom reel PFM Scirocco flow-wrapper which eliminates the plastic trays previously required to support the bunches of sausages for stretch-wrapping.

Instead, bunches of sausages are fed directly onto the wrapping film, which then unwinds onto the machine bed to take them through the pack forming and sealing process.

The investment has also allowed Farmer’s Boy to move to modified atmosphere packaging, giving additional shelf-life of up to six days.

Farmer's Boy general manager Richard Straszewskyj said that the installation was a response to retailers demanding packaging reductions.

"Savings in this case are particularly significant because not only is there a reduction in packaging material, but the new packs also take up less space on supermarket shelves than traditional packs of sausages," he added.