The document discusses packaging, storage, and distribution of food products. It describes the major functions of packaging as containing the product, protecting it, preserving it, informing consumers, and providing convenience. Different types of packaging materials are outlined, including cans, glass, paper, rigid and flexible plastics, aluminum foils, and laminates. Current developments in packaging focus on sustainability, biodegradability, modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, sous vide techniques, and intelligent/convenient packaging innovations. Proper storage and distribution is also important to maintain food quality during manufacturing and transportation.

1. Packaging, storing
and Distribution:
YEAR 12- FOOD TECHNOLOGY

2. Functions of Packaging:
Major functions
 1. Contains the product
 2. Protects the product
Must protect against physical contact during transforming that could set the food to go off
Choose the right packaging to ensure that it is protected
Must be able to withstand high levels of moisture
Protect against physical damage during storage at home
 3. Packaging preserves food
Follow the preservation principles then there will be a longer shelf-life
All foods are different so it has to be specific for the food
Prevent contamination that causes food poisoning
Prevent loss of moisture from those products that require it
Not remove the air from those things which need it

3.  4. Packaging informs the consumers and promotes the product
Package is usually only contact between the consumer and the manufacturer
Helps the consumer use and choose the products they by
Identify the product and brand
Display the quantity and price
Explain products feature
Directions for use
Health and consumer protection information required by law
 5. packaging provided convenience;
Allows consumer to use the product directly from the package
E.g. microwavable containers
save them from using other forms of equipment
E.g. prepared salad with fork
convenience

4. Determining the best packaging
for the job:
 Different foods= different packaging
 Meet the needs of what the food is
 Considerations you must take into account:
Characteristics of the food- moisture levels and fragile it is
Likely causes of spoilage or lose of quality
Shelf-life requirements of the food
Intended usage by consumers- suitable shape size and weight
Company image- creates image of the product depending on what the packaging is used
Cost- packaging isn’t cheap
Production facilities- if company doesn’t have necessary equipment then it will cst you more to
bring in the required equipment
Legal requirements- food must not react with packaging material
Ethical considerations for the environment- recyclable?
Consumer wants and expectations- they like things that look nice

5. Types of Packaging material:
 Many different types
For example: can, plastic bag, glass, aluminium
Cans:
 Metal can= cheap and most widely used in Australia
e.g. tuna, corn, beans, soft drink, beers
 Advantages:
Easy to handle in manufacturing production line
Steel is impact resistant
Good protection and help the quality to be very good
High speed during manufacturing
Standard sizes and shapes so it is easier to manufacture
Can be stored for long periods

6. Glass container:
 Good product
 Chemically inert- doesn’t react with foods to produce flavour changes
 Non-porous and impermeable not allowing fluid to pass through= no extra liquid coming through the
packaging
 Odourless and hygienic
 Transparent= see the product inside good for inspections
 Easy to open and reseal
 Shapes, sizes and colours= a lot
 Provides a means of ling-term storage and shelf-life
 Re-used and recycled
 Strong but light
 Used for a wide range of different types of food products
 Problem= package but if you dropped it will smash so care must be taken when conveying glass and during
transportation
 Once it is closed different types are used
 Maintain a certain internal pressure
 Tamper proof lids so you know the product is safe and hasn’t been tampered with
e.g. olives, jams, coke,

7. Paper and cardboard:
E.g. wet-bix, fruit juices
 Paper= cost affective and versatile
= different types of paper depending on the needs of product
 Treat it so it matches the product is is packaging
 Can be thicker cardboard that can be laminated= strength and moisture resistant e.g. frozen meals
 Very common
Rigid plastic packaging:
 Two different types – rigid anf flexibale
 Flexible= plastic bags, cling wrap
 Rigid plastic is the other stuff
 Advantages:
 Light weight
 High resistance to breakage
 Available in many shapes and colours
 Cheap to produce
 Easily moulded material
 Most common are the
 PET- clear
 HDPE- once you apply colours, they colour becomes stronger

8. Flexible plastic packaging:
 Sheets or reels
Plastic film and bags:
 Common plastics used to make films and bags
 PET- cling wrap
 HDPE- used for stronger flexible packaging e.g. cereal box liners, shopping bags
 Low destiny polyethylene used in thinner flexible packaging e.g. wraps
 Polypropylene- used for packaging snack foods e.g. 2 Minute noodles
Lamination:
 Combining of two or more materials from separate reels that are stuck together with the use
of adhesive and/ or heat
 Common in plastic
 Vaccum bags and you seal it applying heat, it is laminating together
 Holds out moisture and keeps the air out

9. Aluminium foils and laminations:
 Foil is light weight and flexible
 All about the heating – can withstand variations of heat
 Heat sensitive items get stored in foil
 Certain milk containers and stuff, they have a foil lid helps to keep it fresh= composite
packaging- two different types of packaging inside the same product

10. Current development in
packaging:
 Been around for a long time and are constantly modified
 Sustainability= impacts on the environment
 biodegradable- break down
Cans:
 pull ring lids= current developments
 sterile cans (Aseptic canning) new style and different canning process, food is heated
separately and placed inside a sterile can
 different shapes and sizes- through more developments

11. Packaging that modify the foods environment:
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP):
 a modified atmosphere packaging has had the air or space around the food altered by
manufacturers so the ideal mix of gases maximises shelf-life
Active packaging:
 barrier to outside environment
 can control and react to the environment within the packaging
 protects from outside and controls from the inside
 humidity increases= encouragement of micro-organisms occurs
 increase the rate which ripening occurs because the gases inside change- active
packaging protects against this
 extends the shelf-life of a product that would normally go off pretty quickly
 modified environment inside the packaging to make sure that it remains good for a long
time

12. Sous vide:
 cook and chill process
 used to extend shelf-life
 materials is polyester film because it needs to withstand heating and freezing
 advantages:
 Easily opened
 Light weight
 Low in cost
 Transparent
 Easily stored

13. Packaging innovations:
Biodegradable packaging:
 for the environment
 ability of the packaging to break down so we are not left with land fill
Intelligent packaging:
 respond to the changing conditions inside the packaging
 packages that tell you if the food product is fresh or not
 use of RFID chips- radio frequency identification tag- provides information about bulk
packaging
Packaging providing greater levels of convenience:
 packaging that does all the work for you
 chills it for you
 resealable packages

14. Food labelling:
 labelling is major source of information of that food
 FSANZ controls them
Storage and distribution during
food manufacturing:
Storage
 After raw materials arrive
 When a product is held while it changes
 After the final product has been packaged= warehousing
Have a place in your factory that stores what you need
Storage conditions:
 Cold storage- 0-5 degrees
 Freezing storage- -18 degrees
 Dry storage- below 24 degrees
You don’t want sunlight in these storages= remove it
No glass is used for storage= it can break- quality of the food

15. Transport and distribution after
manufacture:
 Need to handle good efficiently
 Packaging must be able to stand up to handling
 Needs to withstand the whole transportation and distribution stage= has to be strong