A self-heating food package will be put on the market soon

A food plastic packaging container with a self-heating device is about to be tested in one of the top three supermarkets in the world. The package was designed by Steam To Go and manufactured by Dragon Plastics.

The container achieves the effect of heating food by exothermic reaction of water and quick lime. When the control button is pressed, the water and quicklime are mixed together, resulting in a temperature of up to 300°C. The steam generated is conveyed through a series of small holes to the food storage area. The food that has been precooked within 4 minutes can be Eaten. Steam is the key to Steam To Go cooking food with this technology. Other materials, such as rice, macaroni and noodles, work better than microwaves.

At present, the heating system is made of polypropylene injection molding, nylon 66 is also in the selection, the final decision has not yet been made. Materials for food packaging containers and reaction chambers are LLDPE and HDPE, respectively.

The container that has been eaten can be disposed of by incineration and the lime in the residue has a maintenance effect on the incinerator.
The product is targeted at the pre-cooked food market, but the two companies are working hard to develop new applications such as horticulture, agrochemicals, and scientific experiments.

Steam To Go had applied this technique to a self-heating coffee can in 2002 but it was not successful.

Source: Plastic Packaging Committee