Food packaging is with us every day: at breakfast with your favorite yogurt encased in a cup, or at lunch packed to-go in a jar. In this 3-part blog series, we'll show you everything you need to know about food packaging. Today, the first part is about the tasks, applications and food packaging materials. In the second part, you'll learn more about sustainability in food packaging, and in the third part, you'll learn about the legal requirements and mandatory information for food labeling.

What actually is food packaging?

Before we go into more detail about food packaging materials, such as paper or plastic, it's important to define the term "food packaging" to understand exactly what you need to consider when packaging your food. According to the Food Association, food packaging is "the set of components predictably used to purposefully and releasably enclose a specific product (fill)"(Food Association, 2010). The definition thus makes it clear that your food must be wrapped in some way and purposefully packaged to protect your product from external influences. However, food packaging not only serves as protection against external influences, such as dirt, but also for the safety of your customers, e.g. to protect your product against the development of germs that could have a negative impact on the health of your consumers.

What are the tasks of food packaging?

As briefly mentioned earlier, food packaging has several tasks. However, its primary task is to protect your food. This also means ensuring that the product arrives at your customers without scratches or damage, as designed and intended by you. Furthermore, food packaging is about food safety, which must guarantee that your food does not lead to adverse health effects for your customers.
A secondary, but nevertheless relevant task is the facilitation of transport, which must ensure that your food arrives intact at the retailer and your customers. Two other important tasks of food packaging are aimed directly at your customers: Your food packaging serves as customer information and advertising. Product design, which places a strong focus on food packaging as a means of communication, is an important component and is discussed in our blog post "Why packaging is so important for your brand"discussed in the previous section. When it comes to food packaging, it is at least as important, if not more important, that your customers know exactly what your product is and what your food is made of. If you are interested in this topic, please take a look at the third part of this series.

Into which areas of application can food packaging be divided?
Depending on the industry and sector, the packaging for your food products will differ. To know exactly which materials and food packaging are relevant for you and your brand, the industries can be well classified into 6 categories:

1. Baked goods and confectionery: The bakery and confectionery industry ranges from rolls and bread to sweets such as donuts and muffins. Fresh products, such as freshly baked cakes, can be sold to your customers in cardboard boxes. Alternatively, there are shelf-stable baked goods and confectionery, which we will discuss in point 6.
2. Meat and fish: Meat and fish products are very susceptible to germs, so your meat and fish products must be packaged in an air-tight manner. Packaging under protective gas, which is made of plastic, is suitable for this purpose.
3. Fruits and vegetables: although we still find many packaged foods in the produce section, more and more supermarkets are offering sustainable options, such as reusable fruit and vegetable nets, which I'm sure you're familiar with from the unpackaged store, completely without packaging, or cardboard boxes, for example.
4. Beverages: Beverages also officially belong to the food category and can be packaged in a wide variety of food packaging, depending on the content of the beverage. You can read more about "beverage packaging" and "beverage labels" separately in our blog articles.
5. Dairy products and alternatives: Since dairy products include a wide range of products from milk to butter to cheese, there are different packaging materials used here as well. For example, we are seeing a trend toward more glass bottles for milk and milk alternatives. Further, there is the possibility of packaging products, such as butter, in small bowls, which have a much better environmental footprint than PET packaging.
6. Ready-to-eat and frozen products: All of the previously mentioned sectors (except beverages) can be assigned to this product category of food packaging. Most food products can now be found in the ready-to-eat or frozen food section. For food packaging for ready-to-eat products, such as pre-packaged pasta dishes that are still heated, you cannot do without plastic packaging under protective gas, as the penetration of oxygen can quickly lead to mold growth. For products from the frozen food department, food packaging made of corrugated cardboard has proven to be not only safe, but also environmentally friendly.

What are the food packaging materials?

In general, food packaging can be divided into 4 categories: Glass, plastic, cardboard and metal. All materials offer advantages and disadvantages and must be adapted to your individual food. Not only the product, but also external influences, such as whether the food is consumed cool or warm, plays an important role in your selection.

1. glass as food packaging

Glass is versatile and is often seen as a sustainable alternative to plastic for food packaging. The high recycling potential makes glass suitable as a food packaging solution (glass bottles can be recycled up to 50x more often than plastic bottles). In addition, glass absorbs potential food residues, such as powder or oil, and can be easily cleaned after use. The disadvantage of glass packaging is the inflexibility of the material, as glass is a very rigid material, and the high CO2 emissions associated with the production and transportation of glass.

2. plastic packaging for your food

Compared to glass, plastic is more flexible and therefore more versatile as a food packaging material than glass. In addition, the production of plastic is more energy efficient than glass and emits less C02 when transporting your products. Although plastic is also recyclable, the process is more costly than glass because plastic food packaging is first sorted, then washed and melted down. In addition, plastic is not completely scratch resistant compared to glass. Generally, the following plastics are used for food packaging:
PE (polyethylene/polyethylene): well suited for Flat pouch for meat or fish
PP (polypropylene): primarily used for foil bags of packaged pasta or the like.
PET (polyethylene terephthalate): often used for beverage bottles.

3. pack food in carton boxes

Paper and cardboard packaging are particularly recyclable and established food packaging. Over 97% of waste paper is recycled in Germany and leaves no residue in the environment. The major disadvantage of cardboard packaging is that non-renewable raw materials, in this case wood, are used for production and these can easily deform when exposed to pressure.

4. metal as food packaging

Metal is also a popular food packaging, as the material is temperature resistant and lightweight. The most commonly used materials are aluminum and tinplate, which you often see in supermarkets as beverage packaging, such as cans. Although metal is resistant, there is a risk of corrosion, which means that the substance changes naturally.

Food and its packaging play a major role for consumers today. This leads to great pressure in the economy and forces food companies to act more sustainable. Today we have given you an insight into the big topic of food packaging. You now have an overview of food packaging materials (glass, plastic, cardboard/paper, metal) and application areas. If you are interested in the topic of sustainability in food packaging, we can recommend our blog post"4 tips for more sustainability in your food packaging" and if you want to learn more about the legal requirements, you can read them in the third part of this series.

By the way, we offer various packaging options for your food - just have a look at our online store. If you are still not sure which food packaging suits your product best, feel free to contact our sales team. Our colleagues always have an open ear and look forward to new challenges in the packaging jungle.