1. FOOD PACKAGING AND ITS
EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT
BY ZUHAIB
1

2. PACKAGING
• Packaging is the science, art and technology of
enclosing or protecting products for distribution,
storage, sale, and use.
2

3. OBJECTIVES OF PACKAGING
 Physical protection
 Chemical protection
 Containment
 Tempering resistance
 Convenience
 information about food
3

4. PACKAGING TYPES
 Primary packaging is the material that first envelops the
product and holds it. This usually is the smallest unit of
distribution or use and is the package which is in direct
contact with the contents.
 example a type of packaging that directly encloses
the product, such as a small bottle or a can for soft
and fizzy drinks.
4

5.  Secondary packaging is outside the primary packaging –
perhaps used to group primary packages together
 example, the plastic packaging around 6 bottles of
soft or fizzy drink.
5

6.  Tertiary packaging is used for bulk handling ,
warehouse storage and transport shipping. The most
common form is a palletized unit load that packs tightly
into containers.
6

7. Different types of food
packages and containers
Primary Can of tomato soup cans
Primary Carton of eggs, milk or
juice cartons
cartons
secondary Corrugated box of
primary packages
Boxes
secondary box of cereal cartons,
frozen pizzas
boxes
tertiary A series of boxes on a
single pallet used to
transport from the
manufacturing plant to
a distribution center
pallets
tertiary Used to wrap
the boxes on
the pallet for transport
wrappers

8. Packaging material properties,
consumer and environmental issues,
and cost
 Glass
 Aluminum
 Tinplate
 PVC
 Polyester
 Paper board
 Laminates

9. Glass
 Advantages
 Impermeable to moisture and gases
 Nonreactive (inert)
 Withstands heat Processing
 Reusable
 Recyclable
 Disadvantages
 Brittle and breakable
 Needs a separate
 Closure
 Heavy and bulky to transport

10. Aluminium
 Advantages
 Impermeable to moisture and gases
 Resistant to corrosion
 Withstands heat processing
 Recyclable
 Lightweight
 Economic incentive to recycle
 Disadvantages
 Cannot be welded
 Limited structural strength•
 No disadvantages in rigid form
 Separation difficulties in laminated form

11. Tinplate
Advantages
 Impermeable
 Strong and formable
 Resistant to corrosion
 Withstands heat processing
 Recyclable
 Magnetic, thus easily separated
 Disadvantages
 Can react with foods coating required
 Heavier than aluminium
 Typically requires a can opener to access product

12. Paper & paperboard
 Advantages
 Very good strength-to-weight
 Characteristics
 Made from renewable resources
 Recyclable
 Easily decorated
 Efficient, low-cost protection
 Disadvantages
 Moisture sensitive,
 loses strength with increasing humidity
 Tears easily
 Poor barrier to light
 Recycled content makes it unsuitable for food contact
material

13. Polyvinylchloride
 Advantages
 Mouldable
 Resistant to chemicals
 High clarity
 Recyclable
 inexpensive
 Disadvantages
 Contains chlorine
 Requires separating from other waste

14. Tin-free steel
 Advantages
 Strong
 Good resistance to corrosion
 Withstands heat Processing
 Recyclable
 Magnetic, thus easily separated
 Cheaper than tinplate
 Disadvantages
 • Difficult to weld, requires removal of coating
 Cheaper than tinplate
 Typically requires a can opener to access product

15. Polyolefin's
 Advantages
 Good moisture barrier
 Strong
 Resistant to chemicals
 Recyclable
 High-energy source for incineration
 Low cost
 disadvantages
 Poor gas barrier
 Easily recycled in semi-rigid form,
but identification and separation more
difficult for films

16. Polyester
 Advantages
• Strong
• Withstands hot filling
• Good barrier properties
 High clarity and Shatter resistant
 Recyclable
 Disadvantages
 identification and separation more difficult for films
 higher cost among plastics

17. Polyvinylidene chloride
 Advantages
 High barrier to moisture and gases
 Heat sealable
 Withstands hot filling
 Maintains product quality
 Recyclable
 Disadvantages
 Contains chlorine
 Requires separating from other waste
 Inexpensive, but higher cost among plastics

18. Ethylene vinyl alcohol
 Advantages
 High barrier to gases and oils/fat
 Maintains product quality for oxygen sensitive Products
 Recyclable
 Disadvantage
 Requires separating from other waste
 Low moisture barrier,
 moisture sensitive

19. Laminates
 Advantages
 Properties can be tailored for product needs
 Flexibility in design and characteristics
 Often allows for source reduction
 Disadvantages
 Layer separation is required
 Relatively expensive

20. ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS
Package thickness
 Packaging materials differ in thickness.
The thinner the packaging material, the
less landfill space it will take up, thin
materials for wrapping such items as
disposable diapers and dinner napkins.
However, the use of thinner plastics in
food packaging can reduce safety and
protection from contaminants,
punctures, and tampering.

21. Packages layered
 Sometimes two or three materials are
combined or laminated together to keep
foods safe and fresh. However,
commingled materials are difficult to
recycle. For example, drink boxes have
six layers of polyethylene, foil, and
paper. Each layer is necessary to
preserve the drink. Another food wrap
that currently can’t be recycled is foil-
backed sandwich wrap that helps keep a
sandwich warm

22. Are plastic food containers
recyclable
 Plastic food containers cannot be recycled to
make new food containers for sanitation
reasons. But plastics used in the food industry
can be recycled for other uses if they can be
separated easily.
 For example, recycled PET plastic is used for
carpet backing, fiberfill for sleeping bags or ski
jackets, fiberglass tubs and shower stalls,
paintbrush and appliance handles, floor tiles,
and more.
 Recycled HDPE plastic is used for such things
as trashcans, flowerpots, traffic cones, and
plastic “lumber” for park benches, railroad ties,
boat docks, and fences.

23. Degradable plastic
packages
 Degradable plastic packages decompose over time from
exposure to light, hydrolysis, biological organisms such as
fungi or bacteria, or some combination of environmental
factors.
 degradable plastics are used in such non-food items as
garbage bags and disposable diapers. A food package
must be a sufficient barrier to prevent contamination from
the surrounding environment during the intended shelf life
of the product.
 degradation or decomposition process must not release
toxic products that could migrate into the food, making it
unsafe.
 Standards for measuring acceptability of degradable
plastics for use in the food industry currently are in
development, and must be approved by the Food and
Drug Administration.

24. What happens in the landfill
 Few materials degrade in modern
landfills. Even naturally biodegradable
products may not degrade in today’s
landfill because of the lack of air and
moisture that bacteria need to thrive.
Consequently, many packaging
materials would be recognizable if dug
up from a landfill 20 years in the future

25. SOLUTIONS
 Although no packaging is the best
choice of all.
 The goal should always be to reduce
unnecessary packaging.
 eliminate unnecessary packaging.
Where the need for packaging exists,
 packaging should follow the 3R's
hierarchy.

26. The First R Minimal
Packaging
 Packaging should be reduced prior to the manufacturing stage,
by designing and marketing products for the first "R". This
means reducing the number of layers, materials and toxins at
source. In general order of hierarchy, reduction occurs by:
 I. Using less packaging and by meeting all or most of the 3R's
hierarchy, including reuse and recycle
 II. Minimizing the number of materials used
 III. Minimizing the weight and volume of materials used
 IV. Employing bulk delivery systems
 V. Product concentration resulting in smaller packages
 VI. Using fewer toxic chemicals in the product and its
packaging
 VII. Utilizing modes of shipping requiring less packaging and
use of repairable pallets by manufacturers
 VIII. Using multi-layered, multi-material packaging. However,
this usually makes the product non-recyclable (i.e.: composites,
laminates)

27. The Second R Reusable
Packaging
 Packaging should be designed to be reusable, refillable,
returnable and durable to the greatest extent possible. In
general order of hierarchy, reuse is achieved by:
 I. Reusing/refilling commercially and redistributing refilled
products
 II. Refilling by the consumer through dispensing systems
at retail outlets
 III. Reusing containers which have been standardized to
assist in reuse applications
 IV. Refilling via a second package (i.e.: smaller,
concentrated containers or larger family-size packages)
 V. Reusing in the home - INFREQUENTLY purchased,
durable and distinctive containers (i.e.: teddy bear peanut
butter jars that can later be used as cookie or candy jars)
 VI. Reusing in the home - FREQUENTLY purchased
containers (i.e.: margarine tubs)

28. The Third R Recycle
Packaging
Packaging should be designed to be recyclable and/or made
with recycled content. A package or packaging material is
considered to be "recyclable" if there is a widely available and
economically viable collection, processing and marketing
system for the product/material. In general order of hierarchy,
packaging may be recycled in the following ways:
I. Recycling over and over back into its original packaging type
(also known as primary or "closed loop" recycling
II. Recycling back into another recyclable, useful
package/marketable product (also known as secondary
recycling)
III. Recycling back into another non-recyclable product (also
known as "open loop" or tertiary recycling). Examples include:
IV. Durable and marketable goods such as synthetic carpet
V. "Cascaded" (delayed disposal), short-lived or single use
marketable items such as seeding flowerpots
VI. Recycling into "show piece" product that is not marketable in
quantity such as park benches made from disposable diapers