South Africa’s fresh produce industry is competitive and fast-moving. Whether you are packing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, baby marrows, herbs or mixed packs, how you package your produce can be the difference between a product that sells quickly and one that gets left behind or returned.
Retailers want attractive, consistent packs that protect the product and extend shelf life. Consumers want fresh-looking, clean produce they can trust. A flow wrap machine helps you deliver both – while improving efficiency on your line.
Fresh produce is one of the most demanding product categories to package. You are dealing with:
Products that continue to respire and lose moisture
Delicate items that bruise or mark easily
Strict hygiene and food safety expectations
Pressure from retailers to reduce waste and extend shelf life
Customers who judge freshness at a glance
At the same time, you may face:
Labour shortages or rising labour costs
Inconsistent manual packing and sealing
High wastage from damaged or poorly packed produce
A flow wrap machine gives you a way to tackle these challenges with consistent, controlled packaging that protects your produce and supports your brand.
A flow wrap machine (also known as a horizontal flow wrapper or flow pack machine) is an automatic packaging machine that:
Carries your produce on a horizontal conveyor
Wraps it in a continuous roll of film
Creates a longitudinal back seal
Seals both ends and cuts the film into individual packs
For fresh produce, a flow wrap machine can be configured to pack products such as:
Whole cucumbers and courgettes
Tomato trays and punnets
Peppers and chillies
Loose vegetables presented in trays
Certain fruits, herbs and mixed fresh packs
With the right film and, where required, perforations or micro-perforations, a flow wrap machine can help manage respiration, moisture and condensation while still giving you a tight, attractive pack.
Fresh produce is highly sensitive to handling, temperature and moisture. Poor packaging can quickly lead to:
Dehydration and shrivelling
Condensation and mould growth
Bruising and cosmetic damage
A flow wrap machine helps you create uniform packs that:
Provide a consistent barrier against external contamination
Help manage moisture loss and condensation when paired with the right film and perforation pattern
Protect delicate produce during transport and on shelf
This translates into better shelf life, less waste and a fresher appearance for longer.
South African retailers expect produce that is:
Neatly packed
Clearly labelled
Easy to stack and display
With a flow wrap machine, you can:
Produce consistent, straight seals on every pack
Use high-clarity or printed film to showcase your produce and branding
Create packs that stack neatly in crates and on shelves
A clean, professional flow-wrapped pack gives retailers confidence in your operation and helps your fresh produce stand out in a crowded category.
Manual packing of fresh produce is labour-intensive and inconsistent. As volumes grow, it becomes difficult to:
Maintain uniform pack quality
Keep up with peak-season demand
Control labour costs
A flow wrap machine can:
Increase the number of packs produced per hour
Reduce the number of operators required on the packing line
Deliver consistent results at higher speeds
This makes it much easier to handle seasonal spikes and regular orders for retailers, wholesalers and export customers.
A major advantage of a flow wrap machine is flexibility. With appropriate adjustments and, where needed, simple change parts, you can often use the same machine to pack:
Different lengths and diameters of cucumbers or courgettes
Various tray sizes for tomatoes, peppers or mixed vegetables
Herbs or leafy products in small, retail-ready packs
This flexibility is especially valuable for packhouses and farms that supply a range of fresh produce items to multiple customers.
Film and labour are major costs in any fresh produce packing operation. A flow wrap machine helps you control both by:
Using only the amount of film needed per pack
Reducing rework and rejects from poor seals or damaged packaging
Standardising pack formats for more efficient palletising and transport
Over time, this leads to more predictable costs and better margins on each unit of fresh produce you sell.
If you are currently:
Wrapping produce by hand in cling film
Using simple sealers with pre-formed bags
Relying heavily on manual labour to achieve presentation standards
you have probably already experienced limitations in speed, consistency and presentation.
Compared to these methods, a flow wrap machine offers:
Higher throughput with consistent seal quality
Professional presentation suitable for major retailers and export markets
Less dependence on manual skill to achieve acceptable packs
A more hygienic, controlled packing environment
For fresh produce packers in South Africa who are serious about quality and growth, a flow wrap machine is a natural upgrade.
When selecting a flow wrap machine for fresh produce packaging, consider:
Product dimensions and format
Single items (e.g. cucumbers) vs trays or punnets
Product fragility and sensitivity to pressure
Required speeds and volumes
Peak-season output
Retailer or export requirements
Film and ventilation needs
Type of film (clarity, thickness, barrier properties)
Perforated, macro-perforated or micro-perforated films for respiration
Line integration
How the machine will receive produce from grading, weighing or tray loading
Labelling, coding and quality-control requirements
Support and service in South Africa
Access to technicians, spare parts and operator training
A supplier who understands fresh produce logistics and retailer expectations
A specialist supplier can help you match the right flow wrap machine to your specific products and markets.
If you want your fresh produce to look better, last longer and move faster through the supply chain, upgrading your packaging is one of the most effective steps you can take.
SA Packaging Machinery specialises in flow wrap machine solutions for South African packhouses, farms and fresh produce suppliers. We understand the unique challenges of fresh produce: respiration, moisture management, transport damage, and the high standards set by local and international retailers.
When you partner with SA Packaging Machinery, you get:
Help choosing the right flow wrap machine for your specific fresh produce range
Practical advice on film, perforation and pack formats for the South African market
A machine configuration that integrates smoothly into your existing line
Local technical support, training and after-sales service
If you are ready to:
Improve the shelf life and appearance of your fresh produce
Increase packing speed and reduce labour pressure
Meet retailer and export standards with confidence
then this is the right time to explore a flow wrap machine tailored to fresh produce.
Contact SA Packaging Machinery today to discuss your fresh produce packaging requirements, ask your technical questions, and request a tailored quotation for a flow wrap machine that can help you grow your business.
Below are common questions about using a flow wrap machine for fresh produce packaging in South Africa. These answers explain how flow wrapping supports shelf life, presentation and efficiency for fresh produce.
A flow wrap machine is a horizontal packaging machine that wraps fresh produce items or trays in a continuous roll of film, seals the film along the back and both ends, and cuts it into individual packs. It is widely used for products like cucumbers, courgettes, tomato trays and other fresh produce to create neat, secure, retail-ready packs for South African supermarkets and retailers.
Yes. A flow wrap machine can typically be adjusted for different product sizes within a specified range. It can pack single items like cucumbers, as well as trays or punnets of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables, provided the products are consistently presented to the machine infeed. This flexibility makes it ideal for mixed fresh produce lines.
When paired with the correct film and, where necessary, perforation pattern, a flow wrap machine helps control moisture loss, limit contamination and manage respiration. This improves appearance, reduces dehydration and provides a more controlled environment for the produce, supporting better shelf life compared to inconsistent manual wrapping or loose packaging.
For fresh produce, you typically use clear, heat-sealable films that may include macro- or micro-perforations to allow the product to breathe. The exact film choice depends on the product type, respiration rate, target shelf life and retailer or export requirements. Your film supplier and flow wrap machine supplier can advise on the best combination for your specific produce.
Yes. There are entry-level and mid-range flow wrap machine models that are well suited to small and medium packhouses or farms. If manual wrapping is limiting your speed, causing inconsistent presentation, or making it hard to meet retailer deadlines, moving to a flow wrap machine is often the logical next step to scale your fresh produce business in South Africa.
The cost of a flow wrap machine for fresh produce depends on production speed, level of automation, build materials, and optional features such as integrated labellers, printers or special infeed systems. Entry-level machines are more affordable, while high-speed systems cost more but handle larger volumes. The best way to get an accurate price is to request a quote based on your specific products and throughput requirements.
In many cases, yes. As long as the products fit within the machine’s size and weight range, you can often run other items such as bakery goods, snacks or certain non-food products on the same flow wrap machine. This makes the investment more versatile across your packaging operation and helps you maximise your return on investment.
The Flow Wrap Packaging Machines are used to seal products horizontally in printed or clear film packaging.
