Consumers: Food and Nutrition Packaging

1. Consumers: Food and NutritionPackaging 1.5 Why is packaging integral to the food manufacturing process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a range of packaging materials? What impact do packaging materials have on the environment?

2. Packaging: Traditional and Contemporary • Traditional Packaging refers to: • Paper • Cans • Tins • Contemporary Packaging refers to: • Mulit-layered cardboard • Vacuum (cryovac) packaging • Modified atmosphere packaging

3. Packaging Laws • National Food Authority: The Trade Practice Act controls: • Hygiene and safety standards. • Weights and measures of contents • Amount of free space (head space)

4. Categories of packaging • Primary packaging • In contact with the food • What the consumer sees when they buy the food • Secondary packaging • Holds individual items together. Eg cardboard box that items are unpacked from in supermarket • Tertiary packaging • Pallets of shrink wrapped boxes for transport

5. Functions of Packaging: Convenience • Packaging enabled food to be carried conveniently from point of sale to use. • It can assist in the easy of use and storage • Honey in a squeeze bottle instead of a screw top jar • Lasagne in a container suitable for refrigerator or freezer • Contemporary packaging makes foods easier to use • Can with ring pull tops • Pop-tops on drink bottles • Resealable plastic bags • Dips and biscuits in separate containers • Long life packaging

6. Functions of Packaging: Protection • Packaging is designed to limit the chances of food coming in to contact with conditions that may spoil or contaminate it. For example: • Impact or mechanical damage • Pests (rodents/ insects) • Moisture • Oxygen • Light • Chemical contamination • Micro-organisms • Types of package is designed to match the food and risk factors for that product. For example: • Milk cartons limit light penetration • Cereal is placed in a plastic bag in a cardboard box to prevent moisture from softening the cereal

7. Functions of Packaging: Protection • Packaging allows foods to be transported and stored free from physical hazards. • Eggs cartons prevent eggs from cracking or breaking • Packaging reduces the risk of sabotage • Consumers can quickly see if a product has been opened

8. Functions of Packaging: Supplies Information • Packaging allows the manufacturer to communicate important information to the consumer about the product. This information includes: • Name of product • Price • Weight • Use by day or date packaged • Ingredient listing • Nutritional value • Cooking and storage instructions • Place of manufacture • Packaging is a marketing tool to attract specific groups in the community.

9. Properties of packaging materials • To protect food quality packaging materials must have a number of functional properties • Non-reactive. Non toxic, no adverse chemical reactions with the food • Hygienic. Clean, able to be sterilised if required • Barrier specificity to suit the food. Eg prevent absorption of gases, moisture, light

10. Contemporary Types of Packaging • Aseptic • Food and the container are sterilised separately and then the container is filled and sealed in a sterile environment. • Active packaging • Allows gases to be exchanged - designed to interact with the air in the package. • Most common method involves including small sachets to add or remove gases

11. Contemporary Types of Packaging • Controlled Atmosphere Packaging (CAP) • Measuring and monitoring the storage atmosphere to maintain gases at desired levels for particular foods. • Suitable for large scale storage rooms and transport containers and is usually combined with temperature control

12. Contemporary Types of Packaging • Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) • Changing the atmosphere inside the retail package • Three types of MAP packaging include: • Vacuum packaging • Withdraws air from packages to form a tight fit around the food • Gas packaging • Gas is inserted in to the packaging to replaceoxygen before sealing. E.g. Carbon Dioxide • Barrier packaging • Liners or barriers, which allow some gasesto enter and prevents others.

13. Cryovac packaging A process of packing food products like meat in heavy duty plastic packaging and then removing all oxygen by a vacuum process (the removal of oxygen helps stop dehydration and the growth of micro-organisms.) Under specific temperature controls, the shelf life of the food can be extended to anything up to four or more weeks, depending on the type of food.

14. Contemporary Types of Packaging • Environmental packaging • Much work is being done to produce biodegradable packaging – Can be broken down by high temperatures , moisture.

16. Packaging and the Environment • Manufacturers are required to abide by the Code of Practice for Packaging. • Try to reduce environmental impacts by : • Producing lightweight containers, using lighter materials or reduced container wall thickness. • Producing concentrates • Making bulk units of the products to reduce excessive packaging • Using recyclable, reusable and biodegradable materials