Fresh Food Packaging / fresh food packaging- LS2

Packaging is a means of ensuring safe and efficient delivery of the goods is sound condition to the ultimate consumer, supplemented by efficient reuse of the packaging or recovery and/or disposal of the packaging material at minimum cost.
Fresh-cut produce continues to be one of the fastest growing segments of food retailing and while conventional film packaging is suitable for lettuce and prepared salads, it cannot cope with the high respiration rates of pre-cut vegetables and fruit, leading to early product deterioration. In the USA, novel breatheable polymer films are already in commercial use for fresh-cut vegetables and fruit. Landec Corporation supplies Intellipac packaging films that are acrylic side-chain crystallisable polymers tailored to change phase reversibly at various temperatures from 0-68°C. As the side-chain components melt, gas permeation increases dramatically, and by further tailoring the package and materials of construction, it is possible to fine tune the carbon dioxide to oxygen permeation ratios for particular products. The final package is ‘smart’ because it automatically regulates oxygen ingress and carbon dioxide egress by transpiration according to the prevailing temperature. In this way, an optimum atmosphere is maintained around the product during storage and distribution, extending freshness and allowing shipping of higher quality products to the consumer.

Functions of food packaging / food packaging-LS1

Packaging has several objectives:

Physical protection - The food enclosed in the package may require protection from, among other things, shock, vibration, compression, temperature, etc.

Barrier protection - A barrier from oxygen, water vapor, dust, etc., is often required. Permeation is a critical factor in design. Some packages contain desiccants or Oxygen absorbers to help extend shelf life. Modified atmospheres or controlled atmospheres are also maintained in some food packages. Keeping the contents clean, fresh, and safe for the intended shelf life is a primary function.

Containment or agglomeration - Small items are typically grouped together in one package for reasons of efficiency. powders, and granular materials need containment.

Information transmission - Packages and labels communicate how to use, transport, recycle, or dispose of the package or product. Some types of information are required by governments.

Marketing - The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Package design has been an important and constantly evolving phenomenon for several decades. Marketing communications and graphic design are applied to the surface of the package and (in many cases) the point of sale display.

Security - Packaging can play an important role in reducing the security risks of shipment. Packages can be made with improved tamper resistance to deter tampering and also can have tamper-evident features to help indicate tampering. Packages can be engineered to help reduce the risks of package pilferage: Some package constructions are more resistant to pilferage and some have pilfer indicating seals. Packages may include authentication seals to help indicate that the package and contents are not counterfeit. Packages also can include anti-theft devices, such as dye-packs, RFID tags, or electronic article surveillance tags, that can be activated or detected by devices at exit points and require specialized tools to deactivate. Using packaging in this way is a means of retail loss prevention.

Convenience - Packages can have features which add convenience in distribution, handling, stacking, display, sale, opening, reclosing, use, and reuse.

Portion control - Single serving packaging has a precise amount of contents to control usage. Bulk commodities (such as salt) can be divided into packages that are a more suitable size for individual households. It also aids the control of inventory: selling sealed one-liter-bottles of milk, rather than having people bring their own bottles to fill themselves.

Food packaging types

The above materials are fashioned into different types of food packages and containers such as:

Packaging type	Type of container	Food examples
Aseptic processings	Primary	Liquid whole eggs
Plastic trays	Primary	Portion of fish
Bags	Primary	Potato chips
Boxes	Secondary	Box of Coca-Cola
Cans	Primary	Can of Campbell's Tomato soup.
Cartons	Primary	Carton of eggs
Flexible packaging	Primary	Bagged salad
Pallets	Tertiary	A series of boxes on a single pallet used to transport from the manufacturing plant to a distribution center.
Wrappers	Tertiary	Used to wrap the boxes on the pallet for transport.

Primary packaging is the main package that holds the food that is being processed. Secondary packaging combines the primary packages into one box being made. Tertiary packaging combines all of the secondary packages into one pallet.

There are also special containers that combine different technologies for maximum durability:

• Bags-In-Boxes (used for soft drink syrup, other liquid products, and meat products)
• Wine box (used for wine)