Packaging and shipping food products comes with additional responsibilities to ensure that there is no contamination. Plastic is a great material for food packaging because it is not going to be the cause of contamination – it won’t react with a foodstuff – and it provides protection from other possible contaminants. Here are some other reasons why plastic makes great packaging for foodstuffs.
Versatility
Plastic is the most versatile of food packaging materials. Plastic can be transparent, so your customer can see what they are going to be eating, or opaque. Plastic can be made flexible, so it can be squeezed, or stiff, so it will stack. Plastic can be moulded into any shape you want.
Resistance
Plastic is very resistant to acids and other chemicals. For this reason, hazardous chemicals can be stored in plastic bottles. Some foodstuffs contain acids, but unreactive plastic can safely store these without contamination.
Printability
Plastic is easy to print on. A company can make sure that they have a strong branding that is displayed across all their food products if they choose to package them in easily-printable plastic. A strong brand is essential for the marketing processes that lead to the biggest sales.
Recyclability
The PET plastic used in most food packaging is fully recyclable. In the UK, each family throws away about 40kg of plastic every year – most of which could be recycled! As a nation, we have to change our throwaway habits. For once, we can’t blame the government – the infrastructure for recycling plastic is in place and many councils will collect it from your door.
Specialities
Vacuum Packing and Modified Atmosphere Packaging are two techniques made possible by plastic packaging. The first involves sucking the atmosphere out of packaging and the second involves changing the make-up of the atmosphere within packaging (e.g increasing or decreasing the percentage of a particular gas). Both these techniques can prolong shelf life, slow colour deterioration and prevent smells from strongly flavoured foodstuffs contaminating other products.
Cost
Even though it has more to offer in many packaging scenarios, plastic is often a cheaper option than other traditional packaging materials such as glass and metal.
If you are looking for packaging that is versatile, resistant, printable, recyclable and cheaper than alternatives, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. You can arrange an appointment with our product development team by calling +44 1692 501020.
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