Design & Technology

Food packaging and labelling

Food packaging does not just preserve and protect food during transit, but also carries information about it, and displays or promotes it. Packaging can be made from a wide range of materials, some of which are more environmentally-friendly than others. There are three layers of food product packaging - primary, secondary and transit packaging.

Food labelling is needed to protect consumer health and consumer choice, and EU [EU: the European Union - a community of European states with its own parliament and laws. The UK is a member. ] law lays down what information must be given on food product labels.

Packaging: functions

The main purposes of food packaging are:

  • An example of a preserve: jam

    An example of a preserve: jam

    To preserve the product

  • An example of protective packaging: medicine

    An example of protective packaging: medicine

    To protect the product from damage, both accidental or malicious damage (where someone damages the product on purpose)

  • An example of promotional packaging: milkshake

    An example of promotional packaging: milkshake

    To make the product more attractive to the consumer

  • An example of promotional packaging: milkshake

    An example of promotional packaging: milkshake

    To make it easier to transport the product

Packaging: materials

Plastics

Plastics are widely used in food packaging because they are:

  • versatile - in particular, they can be either flexible or rigid
  • resistant to acids and other chemicals
  • easy to print on
  • lightweight, and
  • cheap to produce

(NB: not all plastics have all the above qualities.)

Types of plastics used in food packaging.

NameUses and properties
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)Bottles for juice and mineral water
High-Density Polythene (HDPE)Bottles for milk
Polystyrene (PS)Bin-liner bags and containers for frozen foods PS can stand extreme cold
Low-Density Polythene (LDPE)Egg cartons and yoghurt pots LDPE can withstand heat and provide insulation
Polypropylene (PP)Biscuit and crisp wrappers; squeezable bottles for sauces PP is used for chilled products, but not frozen ones
Polypropylene Terephthalate (PET) Oven-ready packaging and fizzy-drink bottles
MAP packaged salad

MAP packaged salad

A special packaging technique is Modified-Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). Here food products are contained in a plastic container, in which the air has been modified to prolong the shelf-life of food and to stall colour deterioration and other problems, until the package is opened. The product can be seen through clear packaging. MAP is used to package:

  • cold meats
  • smoked fish
  • vegetables
  • cheeses
  • salads
  • fresh pasta
  • part-baked breads, and
  • poppadoms

Non-plastic packaging materials

Non-plastic packaging materials include paper, card, metal and glass.

Advantages, disadvantages and uses of different types of materials.

MaterialAdvantagesDisadvantagesUses
GlassReusable, visual, heat-resistant, recyclable, keeps shape, low costFragile, safety issues, heavyBaby foods, salad cream, pickles
MetalRing pulls (for easy opening), recyclable, lightweight, impermeable, withstands heat processingMay react with foodSoup cans, take-away dishes, bottle tops
Card/paperEasy to print on, cheap to produce, biodegradable, recyclable, can be moulded to a variety of shapes, can be coated, lightweightNot water-resistant, may not protect product from damageFruit-juice cartons, egg boxes
Heat-proof paperboard Hygienic, withstands low and high heat (- 40 °C to + 230 °C)N/AMicrowave meals

Green packaging

Green packaging causes less damage to the environment than other forms of packaging - it is 'environmentally friendly'. There are three types of green packaging:

  • Reusable packaging, such as glass bottles, which can itself be cleaned and re-used to store the same food or something else.
  • Recyclable packaging, which is made of materials that can be used again, usually after processing, for packaging or some another purpose. Recyclable packaging materials include glass, metal, card and paper.
  • Biodegradable packaging, which will easily breakdown and disappear into the soil or the atmosphere, without causing damage.

Packaging that can be recycled should carry standard symbols that tell people what the product is made from and how it can be recycled. The key symbols are outlined in the table below:

Symbols used on recyclable packaging

SymbolMeaningSymbolMeaning

Mobius loop symbol - a triangle made from 3 arrows.

Mobius loop

Low-density symbol - a circle made up of 4 arrows, two white and two black

Low-density

Glass symbol - a triange made up of arrows surrounds a man putting a glass bottle in a recycling bin

Glass

Recyclable steel symbol - a cylinder and a magnet

Recyclable steel

Board symbol - a triangle surrounding a hand holding the Earth

Board

Aluminium symbol - shows two arrows forming a circle around the letters "alu"

Aluminium

Polyethylene terephthalate symbol - shows a triangle made from 3 arrows surrounding the number 1. The letters PETE are under the triangle.

Polyethylene terephthalate

High-density polyethylene symbol - A triangle made from 3 arrows around the number 2. The letters HDPE are under the triangle

High-density polyethylene

Polyvinyl chloride symbol - shows a triangle made of 3 arrows surrounding the number 3, with the letter V under the triangle

Polyvinyl chloride

Low-density polyethylene symbol - shows a triangle made from 3 arrows surrounding the number 4. Under this, are the letters LDPE

Low-density polyethylene

Polypropylene symbol - shows a triange made from 3 arrows surrounding the number 5. The letters PP are under the triangle

Polypropylene

Polystyrene symbol - shows a triangle made from 3 arrows, around the number 6. The letters PS are under the triangle.

Polystyrene

All other plastics symbol - shows a triangle made from 3 arrows around the number 7, with the word OTHER under it.

All other plastics
Green dot symbol - shows a circle made from 2 arrows, one black, one white.

Please note the green dot does not indicate that the packaging is recyclable. It only denotes that the packaging manufacturer has financially contributed to the cost of recovering and reycling packaging.

Layers of packaging

There are three levels of packaging (as shown in the diagram below).

  • Primary packaging is what the consumer sees at the point of sale. It needs to adequately contain and protect the food product, as well as displaying it and carrying information about it
  • Secondary packaging is the middle layer of packaging - for example a cardboard box with a number of identical products inside
  • Transit packaging is the outer container that allows easier handling during transfer between factory, distribution centres and retailers
A diagram showing how products are packaged for transport

A diagram showing how products are packaged for transport

Labelling

The law requires certain information to be given on all pre-packed foods to ensure that the consumer is protected and informed. The guidelines are laid down by the EU [EU: the European Union - a community of European states with its own parliament and laws. The UK is a member. ].

Look at the can of peas below. These are the items on the label that are required by law.

  • manufacturer's name and contact details
  • name of the product
  • description of the product
  • weight (NB - some foods are exempt, for example bread)
  • ingredients (listed in descending order of weight)
  • cooking/heating instructions
  • storage instructions
  • best-before date
  • the process used for manufacture
A tin of green peas

A tin of green peas

Enlarge image

The following items are not legal requirements, but are nevertheless good practice and often included on packaging:

  • illustration of product
  • price
  • nutritional values of the product
  • customer guarantee
  • the batch-code and bar-code numbers
  • opening instructions

Click the "enlarge image" button to see the labels

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