Packaging issues unwrapped

Packaging is a vital element for food and drink manufacturers. A pack is so much more than just a means of getting product to a consumer. It markets the product and displays important consumer information such as product type, weight, ingredients and durability. It also has a significant bearing on how the product can be displayed on the shelf, as well as how it is handled during storage and distribution.

Food products are often fragile and lose much of their appeal from a consumer’s perspective if they become crushed or broken. It is also important that foods are packaged appropriately to ensure they can be stored without jeopardising the quality, taste or appearance of the product.

In addition, certain food categories are susceptible to common modes of deterioration such as loss of crispness, the development of rancidity and off flavours. Good, effective, air-tight packaging plays an important role in preventing these types of deterioration and maintaining product shelf life.

Today’s packaging needs to address all these issues to be effective, but it is not as simple as that. Retailers and manufacturers must also strive to comply with the changing legislative framework and the environmental targets set out by initiatives in the UK such as phase two of the Courtauld Commitment.

What the Courtauld Commitment 2 has done is move the packaging waste issue away from solely weight-based targets to encourage the industry to achieve more sustainable use of resources over the entire life cycle of products and throughout the whole supply chain.

The overall aim of the initiative is to achieve a 10% reduction in the carbon impact of packaging by 2012, by decreasing packaging weight, boosting recycling rates and increasing the recycled content of all grocery packaging, where it is appropriate to do so.

Putting packaging to the test

There is no doubt that the industry has made significant steps to reduce packaging, including measures such as light-weighting, but it is important that any new packaging solutions are stringently tested to ensure packs can withstand the rigours of production, distribution and storage, as well as the demands consumers place on them.

The food and drink industry needs to work to ensure the technical properties of materials used for packaging are fit for purpose. Failure to do so could result in packs getting damaged which, ironically, could lead to increased wastage of products, reduced profits, and, inadvertently, detrimental effects on the environment.

When it comes to reducing the environmental impact of packaging waste, while it may be tempting to just use the minimum amount of packaging this could be counterproductive and may not necessarily be the most sustainable approach.

To put new packaging options through their paces, Campden BRI has a range of facilities for packaging analysis, including strength and integrity testing as well as migration testing and both chemical and sensory taint analysis capabilities.

In order to help manufacturers and retailers, a series of videos has been developed and are on the centre’s website, to provide information on the objective tests available for assessing the physical suitability of packaging materials and ensuring packaging is appropriate and fit for purpose.

Among the range of tests Campden BRI provides, the videos demonstrate compression testing, peel testing, pack permeability, leak detection, internal pressure testing and burst testing.

The latest video explains the tensile strength test which manufacturers can use to troubleshoot seal failure problems and investigate the relationship between seal integrity and opening strength. The mechanical procedure determines the exact maximum load that can be applied to a material before it ruptures or tears, in essence, a ‘pulling’ test. The test can be adapted to different needs, to measure the strength or elongation of a material and its tearing resistance, as well as the force required to separate layers held together by a seal.

Taking a holistic approach

Packaging materials cannot be evaluated in isolation. They must be viewed as an integrated whole with the food or drink they contain and with the processes and environment to which they are going to be subjected. Careful consideration and testing of these three elements – the package, its contents and its handling – collectively as well as individually, is essential in ensuring end product quality and safety.

As manufacturers and retailers strive to meet requirements for packaging reduction and satisfy consumer concerns about the environment, the need for testing of packaging solutions is only going to grow to guarantee products reach the consumer safely, securely and with minimal environmental impact.

Views expressed on this page are those of the author and may not be shared by this publication.