Reduce Food Waste With Innovative Packaging Solutions

In the United States alone, people waste 80 million tons of food every year. That’s 38% of the food in America! What’s more, that food waste equates to $444 billion worth of food annually. This has major implications environmentally and socially. Luckily, with proper food packaging, there’s a way to mitigate a large portion of these negative impacts. Here, we’re diving into food waste and identifying how the right packaging can help your business reduce this problem.

The Food Waste Problem

As mentioned above, food waste has major negative impacts on the environment and our society. Before we can understand how to fix the food waste problem, we must first understand these issues.

Environmental Impacts

Food waste decomposes anaerobically in landfills. This means the decomposition process releases methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Also, in order to create the food, farmers and manufacturers expended a large amount of resources — like water, energy, and land. 

Social Impacts

Despite significant food waste, many Americans still suffer from hunger and food insecurity. A recent report found that 44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone. Food waste only exacerbates this economic disparity by contributing to higher food prices and decreasing the availability of affordable food options for low-income communities.

 

The Role of Packaging in Food Waste Reduction

The right packaging can help preserve food freshness and extend the shelf life of these products. Packaging must provide an excellent barrier against physical damage and contamination or products may be thrown away.

 

What’s more, packaging must communicate storage and usage instructions to ensure proper care both during transit and in the consumer’s home. Additionally, portion control and portioning aids may help reduce the risk of food waste.

Innovative Packaging Solutions for Waste Reduction

New packaging solutions have been developed to help diminish the risk of food waste globally. Most of these are some form of flexible packaging, which is commonly made out of rollstock or other like materials. These solutions include:

  • Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP): This packaging technology is traditionally used for produce. It modifies the atmosphere inside the package to slow down the natural deterioration processes of food, like microbial growth, enzymatic reactions, and oxidation. With this technology, it’s easy to extend the product’s freshness and quality, leading to less food waste.
  • Active packaging: There are many types of active packaging, and they all work to emit or absorb compounds within a packaged product. This slows the rate of microbial growth, moisture loss or gain, and oxygen reactions.
  • Intelligent packaging: This kind of packaging incorporates sensors, indicators, or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to monitor various parameters, such as temperature, humidity, gas composition, and shelf life.

Reduce Food Waste with Packaging Solutions from PPC Flex

Packaging and food waste don’t have to be scary subjects. With PPC Flex by your side, it’s easier than ever to find high-quality packaging solutions that minimize food waste and your impact on the environment.

 

As an advanced flexible packaging manufacturer, we’re focused on providing powerful packaging solutions for businesses like yours. When you work with us, you get access to a skilled team that gets to know your organization’s needs, creating the perfect packaging from scratch. With our solutions, you can expertly preserve products, create incredible shelf presence, and deliver a better product experience.

Let’s Make Something Great Together

If you’re ready to decrease food waste through innovative packaging solutions, we’re here to help. Reach out to our team for an initial consultation.