What is Food Packaging?
It refers to how food is packaged, the materials used, and the technology that makes it possible.
Who invented food packaging?
As far back as history goes, food packaging has taken many forms. A prize of 12,000 francs was offered to anyone who could invent an effective food packaging method by Napoleon, according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. To keep his army’s food from spoiling, Napoleon needed a new method.
This prize was not claimed until 15 years later when Nicholas Appert developed the canning method, according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In his process, food was boiled and sealed in airtight glass containers, giving rise to modern canned foods.
Roles of Food Packaging
The main roles of food packaging are to protect food products from outside influences and damage, to contain the food, and to provide consumers with ingredient and nutritional information. Secondary functions of increasing significance include traceability, convenience, and tamper identification. The goal of food packaging is to contain food in a cost-effective way that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, maintains food safety, and minimizes environmental impact.
Protection/preservation
Packaged food retards deterioration, maintains the benefits of processing, extends shelf life, and maintains or improves food quality and safety. The packaging provides protection against three major external influences: chemical, biological, and physical.
In general, chemical protection minimizes changes in composition caused by environmental influences such as gases (usually oxygen), moisture (gain and loss), and light (visible, infrared, or ultraviolet). The chemical barrier can be provided by a number of different packaging materials. The glass and metals provide almost absolute protection against chemicals and other environmental agents, however, there are very few packages that are purely glass or metal since closure devices are added to facilitate both the filling and emptying process. There are materials that may be used in closure devices that allow a minimum level of permeability. As an example, plastic caps, as well as gasket materials used in caps to facilitate closure and metal can lids that allow sealing after filling, are permeable to gases and vapors. There is a wide range of barrier properties offered by plastic packaging, however, it is generally much more permeable than glass or metal packaging.
A biological barrier prevents disease and spoilage by preventing microorganisms (pathogens, spoiling agents), insects, rodents, and other animals. A biological barrier also maintains conditions for controlling senescence (ripening and aging). There are a variety of mechanisms through which such barriers work, including preventing access to the product, preventing odor transmission, and maintaining the package’s internal environment.
The protection of food includes cushioning against shocks and vibrations encountered during distribution to prevent mechanical damage. Typically made of paperboard and corrugated materials, physical barriers can resist impacts, abrasions, and crushing, so they are widely used as shipping containers and packaging for delicate foods. Consumers are also protected from various hazards by appropriate physical packaging. The use of child-resistant closures prevents access to potentially dangerous products, as well as the substitution of glass containers with plastic ones for products such as shampoo.
Reduction of food waste
Food packaging’s impact on the environment must be evaluated in light of the fact that reducing food waste throughout the supply chain is a positive outcome of packaging. FAO (1989) reported that there was significant food waste in many countries ranging from 25% for food grains to 50% for fruits and vegetables. Food waste is often the result of inadequate preservation and protection, storage, and transportation. By extending the shelf life of foods, packaging reduces the amount of waste generated by food.
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