Food Packaging Film

Packaging film is a thin plastic layer used to preserve, protect, market and distribute various food items. It provides protection for loss of nutrients, color, aroma, taste, and maintaining the functional properties of food. Packaging films also help protect food from the harmful effect of microorganisms. It is made up of multiple layers of different types of polymer, common types of plastics used for packaging films include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester (PET), and more. These films are used for soft packaging, and are normally produced by extrusion.

From small plants to major industries, flexible packaging accounts for 60 percent of shipments. And here are a few reasons why.

Flexible Packaging Costs Less
Flexible food packaging requires fewer materials for production and costs less to manufacture than heavy, rigid plastics. They’re budget-smart, but without compromising quality.
Bag-in-box systems, for example, use notably less plastic than a rigid container of similar capacity, and they cost much less. The Smart Pail system has the durability of a rigid pail, but in a lighter, 2-part system with a thin, film seal instead of a bulky lid.

Liners, Containers, and Lids Offer Plenty of Choices
Flexibility doesn’t just describe the way Smart Pail and bag-in-box packaging can bend, flex and expand. They offer flexible design choices, as well. Several styles of Smart Pail lid film are available for a wide range of purposes. Choose from tamper-evident, peel and reseal, disposable and oxygen barrier films. Bag-in-box flexible packaging offers pillow-shape or form-fit liners, multiple film thicknesses and strengths, and several tap options.

Lower Transportation Costs and Emissions Support Budget
With fewer materials and a lighter product, shipping costs less. It’s much more cost-efficient to transport flexible materials than rigid containers. They’re significantly lighter, and flexible containers take up less space. Some packaging collapses to lie flat, making transport even easier. Smaller freight loads also put less strain on the environment. They help you do your part toward fewer greenhouse gas emissions and a lower carbon footprint. Less transportation, lower freight costs, and cleaner air make everyone a winner.

Food Stays Protected and Enjoys a Longer Shelf Life
If you need optimum food purity and protection from contamination, flexible packaging is your best bet. Multi-layer liners are strong and durable, and high-barrier liners prevent oxygen infiltration to keep products fresher longer. Smart Pail’s lidding has a resealable, tamper-evident film. Oxygen barrier lidding takes product purity up a notch. And without a removable lid to drop or misplace, there’s no risk of accidental cross-contamination.

There’s Virtually No Burden on Landfills
There’s no material that combines as many benefits with eco-friendliness as flexible packaging. It’s one of the most responsible choices that you can make. The Smart Pail system uses LLDPE or HDPE recyclable materials and a corrugated container, which helps eliminate the amount of product your facility sends to a landfill.

Flexible Packaging Conserves Space
Smart Pail and Bag-in-Box flexible food packaging components are designed to conserve space. That’s true, whether they’re unfilled, stacked and waiting, or filled and ready for the end-user. Numerous unfilled bags take up less storage space than one empty rigid container. Even Smart Pail packaging nests and stacks smaller, requiring less room on a warehouse shelf or transport truck. Consumer demand drives the popularity of flexible packaging, according to Packaging Digest. It’s easy to handle and fits neatly on a shelf. Cost, performance, and sustainability make it the right choice on the production end.

There are many options available to choose from. First, you must define what you need by answering critical questions about your product, its intended function, and customer expectations.

What is the Product being Packaged?
Is it a solid, liquid, or combination? What are the product’s physical characteristics – shape, weight, dimensions, etc? These are important to know for choosing the right packaging materials.

How Will it Be Packaged?
Will you be packaging your product by machine or manually? If by machine, do the machine capabilities match your needs? Are you considering a flexible stand-up pouch-filling machine, will you be using a horizontal or vertical form-fill sealing machine (HFFS or VFFS), or will you use something else? Using the right material will make a difference; for example, a stand-up pouch may leak if the correct materials are not used.

What are Your Graphic Needs?
What does your product require graphically? The inks used must be compatible with the substrate. Some flexible materials are more ink-absorbing than others.

What Will it be Exposed to?
Will your product be handled frequently or roughly during its life cycle? Will it be exposed to any environmental conditions that must be considered? Will it be refrigerated or frozen? It is important to ensure your packaging can withstand all its encounters so it continues to protect the product in the manner expected by your customers.

What are the Functional Needs?
Does your packaging need to withstand sterilization or high-pressure processing (HPP)? Does it require venting? Is your product hygroscopic, or can it easily oxidize? Moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) are the rates by which gaseous water or oxygen, respectively, pass through a barrier. Even though you can create a pouch that doesn’t leak when filled with water, that doesn’t mean that moisture cannot pass through. Gaseous water and oxygen molecules are incredibly tiny and can pass through many flexible plastic packaging materials. Using the proper material is critical to protecting your product.

How Long Does the Shelf Life Need to Be?
Shelf life is often tied to the impacts of moisture and oxygen on the product. However, when considering shelf life, you should consider the product’s entire life cycle. For example, food waste has become a topic of concern in recent years. The materials used, such as the proper film with resealable functionality, can help to reduce waste for products that are not single-use.

What are Your Customers’ Expectations?
A major consideration is your customer. How might they use or misuse packaged products, such as microwaving food products? What are their expectations for your product, and how does your packaging contribute to that? For example, if your customers are looking for eco-friendly products, consider using a recyclable film, a film made from post-consumer recycled materials, or both.