With trade and commerce flourishing more than ever before, global borders have fallen away. This has meant that food product suppliers have had to use superior materials for packaging their products. Below par food packaging could easily lead to a higher volume of losses. More importantly, with the levels of competition increasing, poor packaging could also lead to a loss of reputation for the supplier. As a result, the buyers could easily purchase products from other suppliers without any issues. Given this backdrop, suppliers of food products have begun using different packaging materials. This is vital for ensuring that their products can withstand the rigors of transportation and different weather conditions. From wooden crates to metallic packaging, suppliers these days use different packaging materials to keep their products fresher for longer.
Some of the most popular types of food packaging materials that food product suppliers commonly use these days include:
- Paper and Cardboard: This material is ideal for wrapping dry food items such as sugar, salt, flour etc. Paper is easy to print labels on. It is light too. However, it is permeable to air, gases and water vapour. Despite this, it will not affect the quality of these food items. More importantly, it is cheap and environment-friendly as well.
- Metal: Many companies have used metallic bases in their packaging material for years. You might have come across tin cans, metallic trays, metallic foils etc. Metals can serve as good barriers to external condition. But, they require sterilisation prior to use as a food packaging. Many businesses use metallic wraps for keeping frozen and heated meals fresher for longer. However, some varieties of metals are susceptible to corrosion. In addition, metallic packaging materials can be relatively costly too. For some people, the opaqueness of metallic wraps can be a turn-off as well. This is because they cannot see the product inside the wrap, without removing the packaging.
- Glass: Giving glass different shapes is easy. Although glass packaging material requires high temperatures during the formation process, it offers a good barrier between the packed product and the external environment. It is impermeable when it comes to gases and water vapour as well. This is why glass bottles and jars are easy to find in kitchens the world over. While glass is brittle, it is easy to recycle too.
- Plastic: Plastic packaging can be synthetic and biodegradable. The former is a low-cost product. It is elastic, lightweight and non-biodegradable. In contrast, manufacturers produce biodegradable plastics in a specific manner. This enables these plastics to decompose in a specific manner.
- Miscellaneous: Other packaging materials that people typically come across include mixed materials or laminates. These feature a few thin layers of various materials such as paper, metallic or plastic films. These materials offer airtight packaging. This enhances the shelf life of the product. Nanocomposite packaging materials are becoming popular too. They feature in the production of bottles or films. They offer low permeability to air and water vapour.