The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Food Packaging Materials

More than just an eye-catching appearance, packaging materials should provide utmost protection for

food and beverages. The need for food packaging has tremendously increased due to the big leap in

people’s lifestyle. However, people are becoming more and more critical about everything related to

health and wellness that they’re not easily deceived by poor quality products enclosed in elegant

packaging. Not all materials, though, available in the market are applicable to all kinds of food and

beverages. One type of material can be greatly useful to a particular product but may be detrimental to

others. This is why choosing the right material to package your food products is very crucial.

Paper

If there’s one type of material that gets the first consideration in food packaging, it’s paper. Paper is

probably the most economical, flexible and environment-friendly material there is in the market. They

are very cheap and can be easily customized to different shapes and sizes to match certain types of

food. The cardboard variety of paper in food packaging has served as shelter for pizza, bread and pies,

popcorn, coffee and chocolate and other take-out orders from fast food restaurants. Paper as a food

packaging material has also its limitations. Even if the cardboard is multiple-walled, the material is still

weak when it experiences handling complications that will have unfavorable consequences for the food

inside. It is never applicable to products that need freezing and exposure to water makes it vulnerable.

Glass

Glass is considered pure and safe material for food packaging. In fact, U.S. food and drug Administration

categorized it as the safest material to enclosed food in. It is non-porous, impermeable to harmful

external elements and offers a safe haven for food to remain fresh. It has no harmful chemicals to

possibly migrate into food and beverages especially when exposed to heat. More so, glass is 100 percent

recyclable and can be formed again into other shapes and sizes. However, if you choose glass to package

your food and beverages, you need to be prepared for its brittleness. Packaging processes should

include cautious and careful handling; otherwise, you’re in for trouble and possible profit loss. Another

drawback of glass as a food packaging material is high cost.

Metal

Canned goods, powder milk, biscuits and beer are just some of the food and beverages usually found in

metal packaging materials. Metals, in the forms of foils and bags, also provide packaging solution for

frozen and heated food. It is highly impermeable from external elements. Common types of metal used

in food packaging are aluminum and steel. Steel doesn’t work well in food unless coated with various

polymers because it is prone to corrosion, which is harmful to food packed inside. Aluminum, on the

other hand, does not corrode but it’s interaction with acidic food has also damaging result to the food

specifically its taste.

Plastic

Anywhere in the groceries and supermarkets, plastic dominates the packaging materials even for food.

In spite of numerous research findings on its potential health hazards, many packaging companies opt to

use the material while still finding ways and means to lessen if not totally eliminate harmful elements of

plastic and its impact on the environment. The material is a common choice due to its resistance to

breakage unlike paper and glass. Its lightweight nature makes it an economical choice in terms of

shipping cost and consumers won’t find difficulty in carrying food around in plastic packaging. The most

adverse effect of plastic packaging is the potential migration of chemical additives on the food it comes

in contact with. Studies linked plastic to abnormality in child development due to its hormone-disrupting

chemicals. Apart from this, plastic is a major nemesis of the environment because of its non-

biodegradable characteristics.

Whatever packaging material you choose for your food and beverages, your utmost concern should be

in the context of protection. Packaging should make consumers aware of the excellent quality of the

food inside.

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Visit Packaging Phoenix for more information on how you can make moving a pleasant experience.