Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
12 Packaging
FOOD PACKAGING
The primary role of packaging of food products is protection from contamination and
preservation of quality. There are secondary roles such as containment, communication,
convenience, marketing, security, and portion control.
Packaging plays an important element in the shelf life extension of food products by creat-
ing the right conditions for specific foods to maintain their organoleptic properties. This
includes keeping moisture out in dry products, preventing oxygen exposure in oxidizable foods,
avoiding light exposure in products vulnerable to light, maintaining the composition of gases in
controlled atmospheres, and preventing contamination with microorganisms and toxins.
In addition, there are practical and legal requirements that need to be fulfilled, such as
description of the product, nutritional labeling, and instructions for its use.
From the marketing point of view, packaging is used for brand differentiation to make the
product stand out from hundreds of other similar products in the retail market. This is achieved
by using attractive packages, and in many cases, features that provide convenience.
Ordinarily, not all the characteristics needed in packaging can be achieved with one single
material and a combination of several are used instead. The added complexity of multiple
materials makes other aspects, such as recyclability, more difficult.
The environmental consequence of creating the types of packages in the market in most
cases is the use of nonrenewable resources and the creation of a steady stream of solid waste,
which subsequently needs nonrenewable energy and the use of land for disposal.
MATERIALS USED IN FOOD PACKAGING
Food packaging uses six basic groups of materials: glass, metals, plastics, paper, textiles,
and wood. Some of these materials are used for direct contact with the food and others, such
as cardboard and wood, are applied for secondary and tertiary packaging. For a particular
food product, the selection of a packaging material depends on the type of product (e.g.,
fresh, dry, wet, refrigerated, and commercially sterilized), consumer preferences, trans-
portation, and cost.
