Good food packaging design to reduce food waste

[Chinese Packaging News] Reducing food waste is a major challenge for the food packaging industry. About 60% of consumers worldwide live in urban areas that rely on packaging to extend the shelf life of food. Although many packaging technologies that can avoid food waste already exist, the implementation process often stagnates due to lack of profit potential and low cost-benefit ratio. Successful packaging design can extend the business case beyond food waste to offset initial technology investment and have the significance of solving sustainability issues, thereby increasing the profit potential of innovative solutions to solve food waste.

Expanded Business Case = Better Packaging Solutions

Packaging that reduces food waste Expanding business cases is related to packaging sustainability, social responsibility and profitability. The recently released report of ReFED (America Collaboration on Combating Food Waste) quantifies business opportunities that reduce food waste packaging. Sarah Vared, ReFED's Acting Director and Head of MissionPoint Partners, explained: "ReFED's roadmap allows innovators and investors to learn more about the impact of food waste solutions and business cases." Analysis shows that packaging can reduce food waste The net economic value after initial financial investment is at least $1 billion. This economic benefit helps to promote the development of packaging solutions that reduce food waste.

The date labels for different products are the same as for improved coordination/analysis solutions. At first glance, the complexity of the packaging solution seems daunting compared to this type of identified solution. Because the strategy of extending the shelf life varies from food to food, the packaging solution is more complex. However, similar solutions exist for packaging solutions that mitigate major degradation reactions in different categories. For example, the shelf life of packaged cereals, peanuts, and meat all benefits from packaging technologies that limit oxygen and control moisture, even if the degradation reactions and reaction rates of these products are different. For such products, the use of moisture-oxygen barriers, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), moisture-containing oxygen absorbers, oxygen-absorbing membranes, edible barriers (including antimicrobial membranes for meat), nanotechnology, and smart packaging are often considered. Cross-category packaging solutions help to focus business potential on finding a package solution to reduce food waste in a large food product portfolio.

The commercial potential of these programs will increase when the packaging design that reduces food waste is associated with increased sustainability, social responsibility and increased profits. Packaging Alliance Pac; Ameripen, the American Packaging and Environmental Association; and other packaging organizations have demonstrated a range of solutions and convincing business cases to reduce food waste. The intertwined factors have created a successful redesign. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is often selected as a packaging material because of its low cost, high recovery, ease of thermoforming, barrier capability, ease of design change to partial control, and consumer friendliness. . POM Wonderful's PET bottles with red pomegranate juice not only reduce food waste, but also enter the highly profitable, brand-driven instant frozen and peeled fresh fruit market. The business case for POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice PET packaging includes PET's recyclability, its connection to health benefits, and reduced food waste.

When packaging design that reduces food waste is related to consumer storage and home appliance use, packaging development of other fruits is promising. Danny Carballo, general manager of food preservation at the General Electric Appliances, said: "In the interior of the appliance, different temperatures, relative humidity, and mixed gas technologies are created based on the different storage locations." Different foods require different refrigerator conditions to prevent oxidation and microbes. Growth, nutrient degradation, and overall decay. For example, strawberries need a temperature of 32°F - 36°F, a relative humidity of 90% - 95%, and a specific gas mixture to maintain an optimal shelf life. Most refrigerators are set at 40°F, 80%-90% relative humidity, and 21% oxygen. Carballo believes that understanding the connection between packaging and appliances may provide cost-effective solutions to reduce food waste. The packaging design can indicate that the food should be stored in a specific location in the appliance, and the smart packaging associated with the appliance has potential for development. Carballo explained: "For example, if the strawberries are placed in the storage box, the air circulation will be reduced, which will lead to increased humidity, which is beneficial to increase the shelf life of the strawberries. The complex refrigerator provides more directions for proper storage. , such as strawberries, and meat, cheese, and vegetables that are usually stored in label drawers." This means that packaging design that indicates the most appropriate position will increase the shelf life of the product.

The connection between sustainable packaging and food waste

The use of packaging to reduce food waste solutions usually means more packaging. These extra packages often increase costs, affect profits, and/or translate into higher retail prices. For 63% of consumers, sustainable packaging can drive purchase decisions. Therefore, it is crucial to address the sustainability of packaging while reducing food waste. More specifically, in order to win consumers, packaging needs to address food waste and be responsible for controlling the amount of food, while being more responsive to brand growth. Rachel Morier, director of sustainable development at the Pac Packaging Alliance, said: “We are seeing more and more people recognizing circular economy, and the role of packaging is very significant. There are promising innovations in the use of packaging, such as a sustainable society. Responsibility, food nutrition, and prevention of food waste.” She saw the natural link between food waste and packaging sustainability. Ameripen responded to this concept in its initiative. Other conferences and research institutes are also conducting similar research. For example, the Global Food Loss and Waste Reduction Initiative (SAVE FOOD) will attend the events of this year's Interpack and Shanghai World of Packaging and emphasize that sustainable packaging will reduce food waste. The role of the parties. Other initiatives, such as the McGill Health and Economics Integration Center and the Global Collaborative Innovation Platform (PIP), will highlight the types of packaging chosen by people who lead a healthy lifestyle.

“Packaging is not only a viable solution to reduce food waste, but it is also an important way to remind consumers because when you improve the packaging to reduce food waste, the total packaging volume may increase.” Vared said. Consumers generally think that those parts of the packaging that are used to keep food fresh have been overpacked. The barrier bags used in the Hans formula tomato sauce produced by Bemis.com in Neenah, Wisconsin, can effectively reduce waste. When consumers only need to add a small amount of ketchup to their recipes, they don’t have to open it. Whole can of tomato sauce. Compared to cans, barrier bags produce less packaging waste, both weight and volume. But this is a complex life-cycle analysis (LCA) problem because stainless steel tanks are recyclable and Bemis's barrier bags do not. Other business cases can resonate more specifically and more quickly with consumers. FreshPak pressure-sensitive re-seal packaging produced by Sealstrip.com in Gilbertsville, Pa., applied to the company's Twizzlers candy, reducing the packaging film by 43%, thereby increasing the line speed. The business case for reducing food waste from the intermittent consumption of Twizzlers candy is comprehensive because it reduces packaging costs and polymer use, thereby increasing sustainability and enhancing the brand. Similarly, the thermoformed stretch film made by Multivac, Wolfertschwenden, Germany (multivac.com) doubled the shelf life of Dovecote Park meat products while reducing the amount of packaging material. Sealpac-uk.com, Poole, United Kingdom, also offers a similar solution. Toronto's Purpod Coffee Club (purpod100.com) also offers a sophisticated business case where a single serving of pods is 100% compostable. An insulated package from Sealed Air, Inc. of Charlotte, NC, provides separate vacuum packaging and a solid business case for chicken breast meat. Barrier packaging eliminates chiller burns, enables consumers to see the contents, and is consistent with automated poultry processing, reducing cross-contamination economically and efficiently. Similarly, Sealed Air's double-separated packaging marinade reduces food waste and packaging materials.

Consumer information

Few consumers acknowledge that food waste caused by poor packaging increases the environmental and monetary costs of the product. The lack of consumer packaging knowledge can change the reality in other ways. For example, consumer interest in compostable packaging is growing, but compostable packaging often lacks the barrier layer needed to prevent food waste. As an incompressible package, from the perspective of life cycle analysis, it sometimes consumes considerable resources. Compostable packaging is often associated with reducing food waste. Compared with other packaging, compostable packaging prevents consumers from wasting food. This has caused consumer confusion. Morier said: "Pac and other similar organizations' studies confirm that consumers need consistent information on packaging because it is related to food waste and the environment. Consumers have the right to know that food losses due to poor packaging are usually more than the environmental costs of packaging. The packaging effect is significant, and most of the used packaging can be recycled, reused or composted, which contributes to the recycling economy.” The evidence-based life cycle analysis can guide the industry in the selection of packaging materials. However, most consumers also need guidance. Explaining the benefits of packaging to consumers is critical. Educating consumers about food waste should include information on the role of packaging and its sustainability.