PACKAGING AND

LABELLING
ND 139 – Fundamentals of Food Technology
FOOD PACKAGING
▪ Food packaging is designed to prevent the spoilage of food
products throughout the supply chain.
▪ Diversity in food composition and product structure in fresh and
processed food products demands unique packaging solutions for
each product category.
 FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING
▪ Protection
✓The need for protection depends on the food product but generally includes
prevention of biological contamination, oxidation, moisture change, aroma loss or
gain, and physical damage.
▪ Convenience
✓Providing convenience to consumers has become a more important function of
packaging.
▪ Containment
✓Involves the ability of the packaging to maintain its integrity during the handling
involved in filling, sealing, processing, transportation, marketing, and dispensing of
the food.
▪ Communication
✓The information that a package provides involves meeting both legal requirements
and marketing objectives. Food labels are required to provide information on the
food processor, ingredients, net content, nutrient contents, and country of origin.
TYPES OF PACKAGING MATERIALS
Flexible Packaging Materials
a) Papers
b) Composite films (laminate and coextruded)
c) Plastic and flexible films
Rigid Packaging Materials
a) Glass containers
b) Metal containers
c) Polypropylene and polyethylene drums, crates and boxes
d) Wooden containers
FLEXIBLE PACKAGING MATERIALS
▪ Papers - refers to materials with a grammage less than 225 grams per square
meter (g/m2 ).
Paper Examples of uses
Kraft Multi-wall sacks, liners for corrugated boards
Sulphite Small bags, pouches, waxed papers, labels,
foil laminates
Greaseproof Paper for bakery products, fatty foods
Glassine Odour resistant and greaseproof bags,
wrappers or liners for boxes, suitable for wax
coating to make them water resistant- for dry
cereals, potato chips, dried soups, cake mixes,
coffee, sugar
Vegetable parchment High wet strength and grease resistant bags,
wrappers or liners for boxes used for meat,
fish, fats etc.
Waxed paper Soft wrapping paper for bread, fruits etc
▪ Composite films (laminate and coextruded) - The plastic films when combined as
separate substrate is called a laminate. When they are manufactured
simultaneously in a single operation, it is called a co-extruded film.
▪ Plastic and flexible films - made from non-fibrous plastic polymers. Most polymer
films are made by extrusion, in which pellets of the
polymer are melted and extruded under pressure as a sheet
or tube.
Types of plastic films Uses
Polyethylene High-density polyethylene:
containers, milk and detergent
bottles, bags and industrial
wrapping
Low-density polyethylene: pallet and
agricultural film, bags, coatings and
containers
Polypropylenes Bottles, jars, crisp packets, and
biscuit wrappers
Polyester Processed meats, cheese, candy and
coffee
Polyvinyl chloride Coating for films and bottles
Nylon Industrial applications
RIGID PACKAGING MATERIALS
▪ Glass containers
✓This is the conventional container used to package a wide variety of
food products. Glass bottles, jars are commonly used.
▪ Metal containers
✓Tin plate containers are made of steel body coated with tin
electrolytically. The coating is applied in various thicknesses to suit the
requirement of the food packed.
▪ Polypropylene and polyethylene drums, crates and boxes
✓These packaging materials have largely replaced wood in many
applications and have the benefit of lower costs.
▪ Wooden containers
✓Wooden containers have been traditionally used for a range of solid
and liquid food products including fruits, vegetables, tea, wines, spirits
and beers. They provide good mechanical protection, good stacking
characteristics and a high vertical compression strength-to-weight
ratio.
METHODS OF FOOD PACKAGING
1) Vacuum packaging - as the name suggests, is removal of external
gases in a container. It refers to packaging in containers (rigid or
flexible), from which substantially all air has been removed prior to
final sealing of the container.
2) Gas packaging - can be defined as the alteration of the proportional
volumes of the gases which comprise a normal atmosphere.
3) Aseptic packaging - the process, whereby the food and packages
are sterilized separately and filled in an aseptic atmosphere. Examples
are fruit pulps in bags, beverages in pouches and cartons.
4) Thermal processing - processing food products of high moisture
content in situ, in rigid or flexible containers. Processing in tinplate,
aluminum containers and more recently in flexible multi-layer
pouches and bags are examples of this type of processing.
5) Minimally processed food packaging - foods intended for easy
preparation by removing inedible portions and cuts can be packed in
suitable packages to extend their storage life.
6) bag-in-box packaging - denotes the concept of inclusion of a
flexible pouch/ bag inside a rigid container such as a carton, box or
drum. The bag material for chemical and biological deterioration
decides the efficiency of the containers.
7) Active packaging - it employs a packaging material that interacts
with the internal gas environment to extend the shelf-life of a food.
FOOD LABELING
▪ Food labeling is a tool to promote and protect public health by
providing accurate nutritional information
▪ An instrument of marketing and product promotion
▪ Label can reduce the information problem between producers and
consumers, while also reducing search costs for consumers.
MANDATORY LABELING OF FOODS
▪ Name of the food
▪ List of ingredients (in descending order)
▪ Net contents and drained weight
▪ Name and address of manufacturer
▪ Country of origin
▪ Lot identification
▪ Date marking and storage instructions
▪ Instructions of use