Food Packaging and Standards

The concept of food packaging is directly related to issues such as product health, the preservation of internal contents, and even maintaining the contents in a suitable condition for a reasonable period. For example, Tetra Pak technology and its production process prevent food spoilage and protect the nutritional value of the product. To manage and examine these issues, we want to look at standards related to product quality.

A complete package must also be visually attractive and appealing, and its recyclability should be considered as much as possible, which is a high-priority advantage. Considering costs and the practicality of packaging, we must consider conditions so that customers and users can easily use them and their health is guaranteed.

The main solutions

It must be said that reviewing standards, key points, and various regulations guarantees the health of consumers and must be clearly stated on the product packaging. These include:

Temperature and storage environment for complete health
Production and expiration dates in a visible location
Shipping methods and the use of base cartons
Placement of barcodes that are traceable and trackable
Familiarity with the production process according to sanitary principles
Resistance to moisture, grease, and even pressure

Different Materials in Production

In the packaging world, there are different materials, but the use of each of them must be examined. Sometimes the taste of the main content changes due to the use of unsuitable materials, and this can both damage the brand and endanger people's health. For this reason, the application of each material must first be examined and approved in terms of hygiene and then printing.

Glass: Preserves the taste of foods and beverages without allowing various particles to enter the contents.
Plastic: Produced in various designs, colors, and sizes. Such as polymers used for window packs to show the contents of the package. Researchers have found a way to recycle them, which can turn them into a more sustainable material in the future.
Paper: Made from wood pulp or other sources such as hemp or bamboo. There are different types of it with different thicknesses, designs, and textures. For example, inder boards are used for pharmaceutical purposes and are 100% recyclable.
Metal: Extracting metal from mines is often an environmentally destructive process, but it is easier to recycle than plastic.
Composite: Unfortunately, this type of packaging is difficult to recycle due to the combination of various materials. For example, juice boxes are made of layers of polyethylene, aluminum, and paper; fertilizer and cement may be packaged with a material made of paper and plastic, as paper alone cannot resist getting wet.

Production Standards

First, the concept of migration must be understood. Migration in packaging materials usually means the transfer of raw materials from the surface of the packaging material to the food or contents inside it. Standards have been defined that prevent the use of colors, solvents, and additives in the preparation of packaging so that the issue of migration can be controlled.

Therefore, priority is given to packaging made of non-toxic materials, with tolerance to temperature changes, and the combination of the contents with the protective layer does not occur.

Maintaining the quality of the contents inside the package is very important, and changes in the taste, color, and smell of the contents due to migration must be controlled. In this regard, there are laboratories for testing packaging materials and the materials used in it, where the method of using each material in production and finalization can be examined:

SQF - Safe Quality Food: A food safety standard that is an innovative creation that has been approved by the World Organization and can certify the quality of food for consumers.
ISO 9001: When food production begins, it must be controlled from the beginning of the process to the final packaging in the best quality to ensure the health of customers and consumers.
ISO 22000: This standard is responsible for managing food safety and is used in organizations that have a food chain.
ISO 14001: An environmental management system that is one of the most popular international standards. This standard is implemented in most countries after ISO 9001 and its subject is environmental protection and preventing pollution from corporate and factory pollutants.

Benefits of having ISO accreditation:

Can generate more sales
Has a positive impact on the reputation and success of the packaging company
Helps you meet customer expectations
Reduces costs through management in the lean production process
It is a fully optimized solution for optimal packaging design
Solves existing problems in the production process and optimizes it
Creates an independent perspective for production and branding.

Choosing the right materials, attractive design, compliance with international standards, and attention to environmental aspects are some of the factors that influence the choice of packaging type. Ultimately, an ideal package should be able to deliver the product from production to consumption safely and with quality. Preserving the environment is very important in this regard, and the danger of non-degradable packaging must be considered alongside all standards and sales points.