Yes, The Best Price Boxes makes custom food packaging with no minimum order, and we will beat any written quote you already have. Food packaging has one requirement no other category has: whatever the board does under heat, grease and moisture is what the customer experiences, and no amount of print fixes a box that fails at it.
Why food packaging is a harder brief than it looks
A retail carton has to survive a shelf. A food carton has to survive a product that is hot, wet, oily or all three, in the hands of someone who will judge the meal partly by the box it arrived in.
Three things decide whether it works. Whether the board resists grease, whether steam has anywhere to go, and whether the box is sized to the food rather than to a catalog. Get those right and the print is decoration. Get them wrong and no print saves it.
Food packaging we make
- Custom food boxes
- Takeout boxes
- Burger boxes and clamshells
- French fry boxes
- Pizza boxes
- Donut boxes
- Bagel boxes
- Collapsible bakery boxes
- Cake slice boxes
- Pancake boxes
- Choux and pastry boxes
- Gable boxes for meal deals and favors
- Cotton candy packaging
- Egg cartons
- Frozen food boxes
- Printed coffee cups
- Tea boxes
- Food grade wrapping paper
- Butter and greaseproof paper
Grease, and the state rules that changed the answer
Plain uncoated board stains within the hour on anything fried. Clay-coated and grease-resistant boards are the standard fix, and they are worth specifying on any product with oil in it, including bakery items people assume are dry.
Some grease barriers historically used PFAS chemistry, and a growing number of states now prohibit intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. We can supply grease-resistant board without intentionally added PFAS. If you sell across state lines, specify it everywhere rather than tracking which rule applies where.
Steam is the defect nobody plans for
Hot food in a closed box turns the trapped air to vapor, and the vapor condenses on the coolest surface it can find, which is the underside of the lid directly above the product. Ten minutes later the top of the bun is wet, the glaze is weeping, or the fries have gone limp.
Small die-cut vents solve it and cost almost nothing. Vent the lid for delivery, where the box sits closed for twenty minutes and sogginess is the bigger risk. Vent the side wall for counter service, where the box is opened quickly and heat retention matters more.
Board and format by product
Clay-coated food grade board for cartons handed over a counter. Corrugated E flute where the pack has to hold its shape in a stack or travel any distance. Kraft with a coating where the natural look is part of the brand and the contents are dry or lightly greasy.
Windows sell fresh product, and they cause condensation on hot product. Use film windows on bakery and confectionery, open die cuts where you want a vented look, and no window at all on anything that leaves the kitchen hot and closed.
Size to the largest version you sell
The most common sizing mistake in food packaging is measuring the standard item and forgetting the special. The lid presses on the product, the box will not close, and the person at the pass forces it. Measure the tallest and widest build on the menu, add clearance, and use that.
Food contact, in plain terms
Where the board touches the food, the board and the inks have to be suitable for direct food contact, made from components cleared for paper and paperboard under the FDA indirect food additive rules. Where an inner bag or liner separates them, the outer carton does not carry that requirement.
Decorative finishes follow the same logic. Aqueous coatings go on food surfaces; lamination and foil belong on the outside only.
Related guides and pages
The complete guide to custom food boxes covers materials, styles and standard sizes in depth. See food boxes with no minimum order, cake and bakery boxes, burger boxes, donut boxes, pizza boxes, coffee cups, coffee boxes, candy boxes, window boxes and gable boxes. Browse everything in the food packaging category.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really no minimum order on food packaging?
Yes. Print one size to test a format on a real service before you commit a season to it, then scale when it works.
What makes a box food safe?
The board and the inks have to be suitable for direct food contact, made from components cleared for paper and paperboard under the FDA indirect food additive rules. Where an inner bag separates the food from the carton, the outer box does not carry that requirement.
Do I need PFAS free board?
Several states now prohibit intentionally added PFAS in food packaging, and more are following. We can supply grease-resistant board without intentionally added PFAS, and if you ship across state lines it is simpler to specify it everywhere.
When should a food box have vents?
Any time hot food goes in closed. Without vents the steam condenses on the lid and drips back onto the product. Vent the lid for delivery and the side wall for counter service.
Can I have a window on a hot food box?
You can, and it will fog and drip. Windows belong on bakery, confectionery and anything cold or dry. On hot food, use an open die cut or no window at all.
What size should I order?
Size to the largest version you sell, not the standard one, and add clearance. A box that has to be forced shut sends out a squashed product every time.
Get a quote for custom food packaging
Send what you are packing, the dimensions of the largest version, whether it goes over a counter or into a delivery bag, and whether it is hot, cold, greasy or dry. We come back with a dieline, a board and venting recommendation, a digital proof and a quote. If you already hold a written quote for the same specification, send it and we will beat it.