Tetra Pak and Shanghai Meilin Expand Tetra Recart for Asian Dessert Soups
Tetra Pak has partnered with Shanghai Meilin, a sub-brand of Shanghai Bright Meat Group, to expand the use of its Tetra Recart carton packaging for shelf-stable Asian dessert soups.
The collaboration focuses on bringing traditional Asian dessert concepts with rich ingredients and authentic flavors into modern retail channels, including supermarkets, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms. Tetra Pak says Tetra Recart is designed to handle products containing small ingredient pieces, larger solid particles and high-viscosity formulations.
Shanghai Meilin has adopted the packaging solution for its ready-to-eat Rock Sugar Mung Bean Soup and Rock Sugar Snow Fungus Soup. According to the companies, the sterilization process helps preserve the natural taste, fresh texture and nutritional qualities of the ingredients while providing extended shelf life.
Traditional freshly prepared dessert soups can have limited shelf life and are susceptible to spoilage. Tetra Recart uses renewable paper-based materials, polymers and an aluminum barrier layer to withstand high-temperature processing while protecting the contents from light, oxygen and bacterial contamination.
The packaging enables the dessert products to achieve a shelf life of up to 18 months at room temperature without preservatives, according to Tetra Pak. Its compact carton format also supports easier transportation, storage and retail display compared with conventional glass bottles and metal cans.
Consumer convenience is another focus of the solution. Tetra Recart features a three-step easy-open design without sharp edges. When combined with an attached spoon, the format is positioned as a convenient single-serve solution for occasions such as office breaks, outdoor activities and late-night meals.
The collaboration builds on Tetra Pak and Shanghai Meilin’s earlier work on packaged regional specialties, including Taiwanese-style Braised Pork Rice, Japanese-style Beef Curry and Shanghai-style Borscht Soup.
Tetra Recart is available in six sizes ranging from 100 mL to 500 mL, supporting applications from individual servings to family-sized products. Tetra Pak says the format could also enable a wider range of Asian desserts, including tofu pudding, Beijing pear soup, mango pomelo sago and lotus seed red bean soup.
The development highlights how advanced shelf-stable packaging can help traditional Asian food products reach wider markets while improving convenience, distribution efficiency and product shelf life.
