PACKAGING

Government Packaging legislation

These state that food packaging must not:

➢ Be hazardous to human health
➢ Cause the food to deteriorate
➢ Cause unacceptable changes in the substance or quality of the product.

Nearly all the food we buy today is packaged. Today packaging and the design of packaging
play an important part in food production.

Function of Packaging

• Protection
➢ To prevent physical damage during transportation and storage so that the product
reaches the customer in a good condition. This is particularly important for
delicate foods e.g. soft fruits and eggs.
➢ It also provides some protection from deterioration due to high or low humidity,
insect attack or rodent attack or mould growth. It guarantees food safety and
hygiene.

• Containing
Packaging contains the contents so they can be
transported, stored and displayed easily. The
shape and the size must suit the filling method
as well as the crates/trays/pallets used to transport the packages. Therefore packaging
can make an awkward shape easier to handle. e.g. Toblerone.

• Preserving
Packaging can be part of the preserving process.
E.g. Canning Modified Atmosphere
Packaging

• Identification
Packaging describes and identifies the packaging.
Labelling information can be printed on the packaging
this helps the consumer choose the product.

Brand Image
 Information

• To Prevent Tampering
Packaging can help stop the goods from being
tampered with. In the
1980’s glass and pins were
found in some baby food
products.

Types of Packaging

Type of Packaging Advantages Disadvantages

Metals • Strong The metal can react
• Withstands heat with some foods so it
• Withstands internal might need a metallic
pressure liner.
• Can be moulded into
different shapes
• Impermeable to
contamination
• Can be recycled
• Preservers food
• Can come in different
thicknesses, e.g. tin foil
trays or tin cans
• Can be moulded into a Fragile and easily
variety of shapes broken
• Can be coloured Heavy to carry
• Impermeable to
 contamination
• Rigid
• Transparent so you can see
Glass the product
• Can be recycled
• Resistant to high
temperatures
• Low cost

Card • Can be printed on easily Can be easily

and • Can be made in various squashed and the
thicknesses contents damaged.
Paper
• Can be made of renewable
sources Not water resistant
unless laminated.
• Easy to handle as it is
lightweight
• Can be moulded into
different shapes
• Cheap
• Can be laminated or coated
to carry a liquid
• Can be recycled
• Biodegradable

Plastic • Can be moulded into Takes years to

different shapes biodegrade
• Resistant to moisture and
water
• Lightweight
• Can be printed on
• Cheap
• Can be rigid or flexible

Specialist Packaging

Vacuum Packaging
This is a way of preserving food and has been used for many years.

The food is placed in a plastic bag and the air

around the food is then sucked out and the
plastic bag is sealed. The food is now
impervious to bacteria as an anaerobic
condition is created.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging - MDF

This new technique is used to prolong the shelf life of all sorts of fresh foods. The food is
placed into a plastic container which have lids or plastic bags that are impermeable to the air.
The food is then ‘flushed’ with a mixture of gases nitrogen and carbon dioxide which is
designed to delay the onset of mould and bacteria. The contents are then hermetically sealed
and stored in chilled conditions.
Advantages
 • Colour of the food stays the same.
• Increased shelf life for high risk foods. Food keeps up to 10 days longer.

Environm
ental Considerations
• Making packaging requires energy and the uses of natural resources such as oil, water,
sand, metal and trees. This use of natural resources increases the output of CO2 which in
turn increases the temperature and leads to global warming.
• Throwing packaging increases pressure on land fill sites.
• Other implications are the amount of time that it takes for packaging to decompose.

Type of Packaging Length of time it takes to decompose

Aluminium cans 80 – 200 years
Foam plastic cups 50 years
Plastic filmed containers 20 – 30 years
Waxed drink cartons 3 months

• Transporting packaged goods around the world causes air pollution. This is why it is best
to eat local food which is not packaged and not transported.

What Can Consumers Do?

1. Choose and buy products that use recycled and biodegradable packaging Look for the
recycling label
2. Ensure that you recycle food packaging. Up to 77% can be recycled but only 33% is
actually recycled.
3. Buy larger portions as they are cheaper and use less packaging, decant the food when
needed.
4. Use fabric shopping bags instead of plastic shopping bags provided by the
supermarkets.
5. Buy local food that is not packaged this has less food miles and minimises global
warming affect.

What Can the Manufacturer Do?

1. Provide detailed information on the packaging as to what it is made from and how the
packaging can be recycled. They also need to use the recycling logo below.

2. Stop pointless packaging – e.g. shrink wrapping cucumbers.

3. Make the packaging thinner and smaller.