Each time you walk into a mall or a shopping centre, you will come across shelves of products stacked against each other. Whether you look for soaps or cereals, you will come across products wrapped in different kinds of packaging materials. This diversity of packaging materials accentuates the constant churning that takes place in the packaging industry. Each company wants to offer its products and retain the loyalty of the customer. As a result, they usually package their wares in attractive and innovative ways. And, when it comes to food products, manufacturers often devote a significant amount of time to ensure that they get the packaging spot on. In many ways, the packaging used for the product has become a strategic decision for many companies.
Of late, the kind of packaging material that companies use for their food products has acquired immense significance. This is because the packaging material often serves a myriad of purposes. Proper food packaging helps in:
- Protecting the food product from a number of things such as vibration, temperature, shock, compression etc.
- Keeping the food product safe from dust, oxygen, water vapour etc. thereby keeping the product fresher for longer
- Keeping small food items such as gourmet nuts together in one package for better efficiency
- Displaying the relevant nutritional facts about the product including the manner of use and disposal, the manufacturing and expiry dates etc.
- Keeping the customers hooked to a specific brand of products based on their visual appeal
- Making it convenient for people to handle, display, open, close, re-close, use and reuse the product easily
- Making customers aware that the food product is safe for consumption with tamper-proof and security features and,
- Making customers aware of the exact portion of contents of the product