Back in the day, food was taken for granted as it is easily taken today. And that is a pretty great thing, no one should worry about their access to food. The fact that we have refrigeration and better ways of making food is a great thing. We should definitely not revert back to those times when food was scarce and is still scarce for many people. That only brings insecurity, poor health, and eventually death. However, this stage of modern food production is not the plateau that we should cherish.
There are far greater levels that we can accomplish when it comes to food production. This is a very broad topic that covers a lot of sciences, but we can talk about packaging for a bit. Food packaging is not something that we think of on a daily basis, yet it is all around us. It is very important to understand food packaging in order to get a better grasp of where we are right now.
Health
Health risks are the first and foremost reason you need to care about food packaging. This is tightly regulated, and sealed food packaging used today has strict measures to ensure safety. When you buy packaged food, do you think it is safely packed? Of course not, you should never think about the packaging because this is now the norm. The problem is, we are still discovering what is right and what is wrong, because of plastic
Everyone knows about the microbial danger of food that is not packaged correctly, but there is a new foe. Microplastics, lots and lots of microplastic which is probably inside of you right now. Almost every food is now packed inside a plastic wrapper, rarely another material. Even if you think you are safe with cans, wrong, they have a thin layer of plastic. There are a lot of things hidden behind this concept of food packaging that people do not realize.
Food longevity
Food is great when it is fresh, everyone knows that. This is why good packaging is important, to diminish the effect of becoming stale. This is why chips are sealed in a bag that does not contain air, but one that contains nitrogen. Health and food longevity are closely related because food that expired is not healthy. Even if you do not care about freshness, it is your loss if the food expires.
The more food can last the fewer your losses to expiration dates. Better packaging means the food stays fresher and that means you can sell it for more. The calculus is pretty simple and it can only benefit you if you do not care about customers. More research and development in this area means new jobs mean more money and a reputation for your business. Everyone wins when you care about food packaging.
Taste
Besides going stale, food packaging can have a big impact on the taste. Just think about the classic example of Coca-Cola in a plastic bottle, can, and glass bottle. If you were blindfolded, you would think you are drinking different soft drinks.
This effect goes for both liquids and solids, but for liquids, it is most noticeable. That is because the liquid is in constant contact and it is easier for it to dissolve the packaging. If you think that water and plastic are inert matter, you are pretty wrong, especially when it comes to food. There is a whole new world of chemistry going on there that we are still trying to comprehend.
Branding
Besides functionality, aesthetics are another important factor when it comes to food packaging. How the food looks is oftentimes more important than what the food tastes like. Even if it is not just the food but the image of the food on the packaging, people always look at that. It is the image that does not exist that has a bigger impact than what you see with your own eyes. It is weird, and a bit scary, but it is the world in which we live.
Just think about it, what kind of food would you rather buy in the grocery store. Would you go for the one that has ugly packaging, or one that has nice and simple packaging? Would you buy some off-brand cola drink, or would you go for the cola drinks that you know? Even if you know they are not good for your health, what kind of choice do you make? Even if you think differently, people always go for the food that looks good rather than the other.
Eco-friendly packaging
Eco-friendly packaging is a point that covers all of the above-mentioned parameters. It is a lesser health risk, great for longevity, preserves taste, and looks great for branding. By switching up to this alternative, which every business should do, you get a lot of benefits. It is not a question of should they or not, it is an order that everyone must follow. If all of the plastic bottles were spread over the world equally, there would be one bottle per square meter.
Again, all of the plastic bottles can fill every square meter of this planet. If that does not sound scary to you, then you should think about your profits. Eco-friendly packaging is becoming more and more available, and thus it is cheaper. Plastic options are becoming more expensive and tightly regulated, as they should. This means that these options are taking a toll on your cash, while there is a whole new market out there.
This was just a brief explanation of key reasons why food packaging is important. There are many ways to package food, but only a few of them represent the right way. With this broader perspective on this topic, you can see that there is much more than what meets the eye. We can only understand the world around us if we look beyond what the naked eye can see.
The most marvelous discoveries are the ones made by observing natural phenomena around us. Do you really know what water is and why water is important for life on this planet? The answers will surprise you, and that is when food packaging becomes a whole new dimension for you.
