Food Processing, Beverage, and Packaging
Our USDA-accepted products can be used in various food service applications.
Our food processing and packaging mesh products collection is available in various configurations, including thicknesses and hole geometries, allowing unique food processing advantages. These thermoplastic products, made from FDA-Grade and USDA-accepted resins, can be supplied by the roll, in cut sheets, or as bags for specific application requirements.
Naltex™ Extruded Netting is available in many styles, ranging from heavy-duty to lightweight, oriented mesh. Unlike traditional trays, Naltex™ is 100% non-stick, can be re-used, and can be discarded after multiple uses. Naltex is commonly used for dehydrating food products.
Our Conwed™ Marinating Net is designed for poultry marination and packaging. This mesh can be supplied as roll-stock or heat-sealed at one end to form high-strength bags that can be wicketed.
Conwed™ Apertured Film is an extremely thin, porous mesh with clean and consistent geometric openings. The blue-colored film provides easy visibility to help avoid contamination. Our cheese nets are produced from high-density polyethylene, giving them good tensile strength. We produce the nets from virgin resin in enclosed, clean conditions on a line approved for medical production. This avoids spun cotton or muslin dust and contamination, often produced in open, uncontrolled environments. Its closed hexagonal structure means no threads or loose fibers.
The food processing and packaging mesh can easily be heat-sealed or sewn into bags. Our food-safe nets are utilized for the production of a variety of foods, including:
- Marinated Poultry
- Packaged Citrus
- Boil-in-Bag Pasta Pouches
- Cheese Net
- Smoked Seafood
- Ready-to-use Spice Bags
- Dried Cereal Fruits
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Crackers
- Beef Jerky
The FDA-grade, USDA-accepted resins can withstand various processes and temperatures.
SUMMARY
Ideal for Markets:
| Packaging and Beverage |  |
Performance:
| Food-safe |
| Custom solutions |
| Non-stick |
| Cost-effective |
| Durable |
| Flexible |
Naltex™ Net for Smokehouses
The unique design of our premium Naltex™ Netting reduces sticking and is perfect for smoking meats, delicate seafood products, and even pet treats!
Cheese Production Netting
Our white or blue-colored cheese net has been used in cheese manufacturing for over 40 years. Its closed hexagonal structure means no threads or loose fibers. The unique structure allows the nets to key together, forming a good structure to hold the cheese.
Shellfish Specialty Bags
Conwed manufactures extruded and knitted netting for shellfish packaging and containment applications. Since our netting configurations have an open mesh design, creating retail visibility for your seafood products is easy. Our netting designs help producers, distributors, and wholesalers display their seafood products while enhancing visual presentation, convenience, traceability, durability, flexibility, and affordability compared to other packaging alternatives. Our netting is made of resins certified by USDA/FDA standards and is suitable for packaging and steaming seafood.
Vexar™ Heat Sealed Bags
Vexar™ Heat Sealed Bags are produce bags heat-sealed on one end. Our heat sealed bags are shipped with a loading tube for easy handling. These bags are also suitable for steaming or smoking seafood, meat, and poultry because the heat seal can withstand high temperatures.
Vexar™ Rope Netting
Vexar™ Rope Netting is available in multi-strand netting configurations for fragile or soft-skinned produce. Conwed produces extruded mesh rope netting with superior breathability to minimize moisture damage in produce packaging. It promotes air circulation and helps reduce condensation, consequently extending shelf life.
Conwed™ Poultry Protection Net
Our Conwed™ plastic mesh provides predator protection, maximum air circulation, and breathability to keep poultry safe and healthy.
Everything You Need to Know About Conwed’s Food Processing and Packaging Solutions
What packaging solutions does Conwed offer for the food and beverage industry?
Conwed provides a variety of specialized plastic netting products tailored for food processing, beverage, and packaging applications. These resin-based mesh solutions come in different configurations (various thicknesses, mesh hole sizes) and can be supplied in roll form, as cut sheets, or pre-formed bags to suit specific needs. Key offerings include:
- Naltex™ Extruded Netting: A non-stick, reusable net available in styles from heavy-duty to lightweight. Naltex netting is commonly used for food dehydration (e.g. drying sun-dried tomatoes, fruits, crackers) and in smokehouses for meats or seafood. Unlike traditional trays, Naltex provides a 100% non-stick surface that minimizes product sticking and can withstand high drying or smoking temperatures.
- Conwed™ Marinating Net: A netting designed specifically for poultry marination and packaging. It helps securely contain marinated poultry during processing. The marinating net is offered as roll-stock or as high-strength bags (heat-sealed on one end) for easy use in production. This solution ensures liquids and seasonings stay with the product, improving flavor absorption and reducing mess.
- Conwed™ Apertured Film (Cheese Netting): An extremely thin, porous plastic mesh used in cheese production and similar applications. It features clean and consistent geometric openings and is typically colored blue for high visibility (to prevent any material from going unnoticed in food). Made from high-density polyethylene in a clean, controlled environment, this apertured netting has no loose fibers or threads, eliminating contamination risks that can occur with traditional cheesecloth or muslin. It provides good tensile strength while allowing whey and liquids to drain efficiently during cheese processing.
- Shellfish Packaging Nets: Conwed produces extruded and knitted netting bags for shellfish (such as oysters, mussels, clams) and other seafood. The open mesh design of these bags provides excellent product visibility at retail and allows water flow for washing or even cooking the seafood directly in the bag. These nets are made from FDA/USDA-compliant resins, ensuring they are food-safe and durable enough for wet or steaming conditions. They improve handling and presentation of shellfish while being more flexible and affordable than rigid packaging.
- Produce Packaging Netting (Vexar™): For fruits and vegetables, Conwed offers Vexar™ netting solutions. This includes heat-sealed net bags (sealed on one end and supplied with a loading tube for easy filling) and rope-style netting for produce. The multi-strand rope netting is highly breathable, allowing air circulation around delicate produce to reduce condensation and moisture damage. This helps extend the shelf life of items like citrus, onions, or potatoes by preventing spoilage. Vexar net bags and sleeves are strong yet flexible, gently conforming to products while securely containing them. They can even be used in processes like steaming or smoking food, as the netting and seals resist high temperatures without melting.
What are the main advantages of using Conwed’s netting in food packaging?
Conwed’s packaging netting provides several key advantages that improve food processing and packaging operations. In summary, these nets are food-safe, non-stick, durable, flexible, cost-effective, and customizable. The table below highlights each feature and its benefit:
Are Conwed’s netting products safe for food contact and compliant with regulations?
Yes. All of Conwed’s food processing and packaging netting products are made from food-grade materials that meet FDA and USDA standards for direct food contact. In practice, this means the nets will not leach harmful substances and are approved for use in food production environments.
Conwed also manufactures these products under clean, controlled conditions to maintain food safety. For example, the cheese netting is produced from virgin resin in an enclosed facility to avoid any dust or contamination – it contains no loose fibers or threads that could get into food.
Customers can be confident that using Conwed netting will help them uphold strict food safety and regulatory compliance requirements.
Can Conwed netting be used during cooking or high-temperature processes (like steaming or smoking)?
Yes. Many Conwed netting solutions are designed to perform even under cooking conditions such as steaming, boiling, or smoking. The FDA/USDA-approved thermoplastic resins used can withstand a wide range of processing temperatures without melting or breaking down.
For instance, Conwed’s Vexar™ heat-sealed bags are explicitly made to handle high heat – they can be used to steam shellfish or even smoke meats and poultry, as their seals and material remain intact at elevated temperatures.
Likewise, Naltex™ extruded netting is durable enough for use in oven-like drying rooms or smokehouses. In summary, Conwed netting will hold up during cooking/pasteurization steps, allowing you to cook or heat-treat food products directly in the package when needed.