Lesson 11

LESSON 11: PACKAGING
PREPARED FOOD STUFF
SELECT PACKAGING MATERIALS

Food Packaging
 This is a packaging of food which requires protection, tampering resistance,
and special physical, chemical, or biological needs.
 It also shows in the product label any nutrition information on the food
being consumed.
 The main aims of packaging are to keep the food in good condition until it
is sold and consumed, and to encourage customers to purchase the
product.
 Packaging should provide the correct environmental conditions for food
starting from the time food is packed through to its consumption.
A good package should therefore
perform the following functions:
 Provide a barrier against dirt and other contaminants thus keeping the product
clean
 Prevent losses. For example, packages should be securely closed to prevent
leakage
 Protect food against physical and chemical damage. For example the harmful
effects of air, light, insects, and rodents. Each product will have its own needs
 Package design should provide protection and convenience in handling and
transport during distribution and marketing
 Help the customers to identify the food and instruct them how to use it correctly
A good package should therefore
perform the following functions:
• Cluster or group together small items in one package for

efficiency. Powders and granular materials need containment.
• Marketing - The packaging and labels can be used by marketers
to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product.
• Correct packaging prevents any wastage (such as leakage or
deterioration) which may occur during transportation and
distribution.
Types of Packaging Materials:
 Leaves  Wood
 Vegetable
 papers, fibres  Glass
newsprint
 Earthenware  Metals
 Plastics
Leaves
Banana leaves are often used for
wrapping certain types of food (e.g.
suman).
Corn husk is used to wrap corn
paste or unrefined block sugar, and
cooked foods of all types are wrapped
in leaves.
They do not however protect the
food against moisture, oxygen, odors
or micro-organisms, and therefore, not
suitable for long-term storage.
Vegetable Fibres These include bamboo, banana, coconut, and
cotton fibres. These natural materials are
converted into yarn, string or cord which will form
the packaging material.
These materials are very flexible, have some
resistance to tearing, and are lightweight for
handling and transportation.
Being of vegetable origin, all of these materials
are biodegradable and to some extent re-usable.
 As with leaves, vegetable fibres do not provide
protection to food which has a long shelf-life since
they offer no protection against moisture pick-up,
micro-organisms, or insects and rodents.
Wood Wooden shipping containers have
traditionally been used for a wide range of
solid and liquid foods including fruits,
vegetables, tea and beer.
Wood offers good protection, good stacking
characteristics and strength.
Plastic containers, however, have a lower
cost and have largely replaced wood in many
applications.
The use of wood continues for some wines
and spirits because the transfer of flavour
compounds from the wooden barrels improves
the quality of the product.
Paper  Paper is an inexpensive packaging
material.
 It is however highly absorptive, fairly
easily torn, and offers no barrier to water
or gases.
The degree of paper re-use will depend
on its former use, and therefore paper
that is dirty or stained should be rejected.
 Newsprint should be used only as a
outer wrapper and not be allowed to come
into direct contact with food, as the ink
used is toxic.
Earthenware  Earthenware pots are used
worldwide for storing liquids
and solid foods such as curd,
yoghurt, beer, dried food, and
honey.
 Corks, wooden lids, leaves,
wax, plastic sheets, or
combinations of these are used
to seal the pots.
Glass Glass has many properties which make it a
popular choice as a packaging material:
 Glass is able to withstand heat treatments such
as pasteurization and sterilization.
 Does not react with food.
 Protects the food from crushing and bruising
 Resistant to moisture, gases, odors and
microorganisms
 Re-usable, re-sealable and recyclable
 Transparent, allowing products to be displayed.
Coloured glass may be used either to protect
the food from light or to attract customers.
Disadvantages of using glass as
packaging materials :
 Glass is heavier than many other packaging materials and this may
lead to higher transport costs
 It is easy to fracture, scratch and break if heated or cooled too
quickly
 Potentially serious hazards may arise from glass cracks or
fragments in the food.
Preparation of glass containers :
 Inspection  Sterilization
 Washing  Sealing and
 Rinsing capping
 Cooling
Plastic  Plastics are extremely useful as
they can be made in either soft or
hard forms, as sheets or containers,
and with different thickness, light
resistance, and flexibility.
The filling and sealing of plastic
containers is similar to glass
containers.
Flexible
films are the most
common form of plastic.
Generally, flexible films have the
following properties:
 Cost is relatively low.
 Good barrier properties against moisture and gases.
 Heat sealable to prevent leakage of contents.
 Have wet and dry strength.
 Easy to handle and convenient for the manufacturer, retailer, and consumer.
 Little weight to the product.
 Fit closely to the shape of the product, thereby wasting little space during
storage and distribution.
Metal
Metal cans have a number of
advantages over other types of
containers:
they provide total protection of the
contents.
they are tamperproof.
they are convenient for presentation.
Disadvantages of metal food packaging
materials:
they are heavier than other materials, except glass, and

therefore have higher transport costs
the heat treatment associated with the use of metal cans is
not suitable for small-scale production.
LESSON 11:PACKAGE
FOOD ITEMS
PACKAGE FOOD ITEMS IN COMPLIANCE

WITH OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND
SAFETY PROCEDURES
Food Safety on Storing and
Transporting Foods
 Food Packaging has been defined by Paine (1962) as the “art

science and technology of preparing goods for transport and sale”.
 More specifically, it is a way of making sure that a product reaches
the end user in good condition at the least cost to the producer.
 In effect, a packaging material provides the means of transporting
a product from one place to another with maximum protection at
the least cost
A package is expected to perform
three major functions:
1. To contain- During harvest time, packages could mean crates, baskets, boxes and the like to
contain the farm produce in bulk. These are also necessary to allow for stacking the products in
their containers for storage at the warehouse or while awaiting transport, distribution or actual use.
At the food processing plant, the function of the package changes from concern mainly with bulk
containers to unit packs.
2. To protect- When rough handling of perishable foods are minimized, speed of deterioration
slows down. This is clearly observed with the farm products which have been given effective
protection through proper use of the right containers.
3. To help sell- Consumers get attracted first to beauty, novelty or additional utility of packaging
materials. Many chocolate candies outsell each other through their package presentations. The
package itself helps in product promotion. The more attractive it is, the greater the chances it will
be noticed.

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LESSON 11: PACKAGING

PREPARED FOOD STUFF

SELECT PACKAGING MATERIALS

• Cluster or group together small items in one package for

they are heavier than other materials, except glass, and

PACKAGE FOOD ITEMS IN COMPLIANCE

 Food Packaging has been defined by Paine (1962) as the “art

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