not mine by pdst

1. Food Packaging & Food labelling
© PDST Home Economics.

2. Reasons for
packaging
• Protection
• Ease of transport &
storage
• To preserve food thereby
preventing waste and
spoilage.
• Marketing
• To carry information

3. Desirable Properties
of Food Packaging
• Safe, non-toxic
• Hygienic
• Easy to open and
reseal
• Attractive
• Economical
• Strong
• Biodegradable or
recyclable
• Odourless

4. Materials used in
packaging
Examples of use
Metals: Tin cans,
aluminium cans, foil
containers, foil bags,
aerosols
Fruit, soft drinks, take-
aways, coffee, whipped
cream.
Glass: Jars, bottles Mayonnaise, olive oil
Paper: Plain paper, waxed
paper, laminated cartons,
greaseproof paper,
cardboard
Sugar, bread, orange
juice, sausage rolls,
cereal boxes
Plastic: polythene, plastic
cartons or plastic boxes,
PET (polyethylene
terepthalate) bottles,
polystyrene.
Dried pasta, yoghurt,
dairy spread, soft drinks,
take-away food.

5. Suitability for purpose
Metal: protects, easy stack
& store, can be heated,
lacquered to prevent
reaction with food, heavy
-increase transport cost,
expensive, recyclable.
Glass: hygienic, protects
well, rigid, variety shapes &
sizes, transparent,
resealable, stackable, can
be heated, doesn’t react
with food, heavy, breakable,
costly, recyclable.Paper: biodegradable, low
cost, easy to open not easy
to reseal, light, can be
printed on, plain paper-not
strong, waxed paper is
moistureproof & vapour
proof.
Plastic:strong, moisture
proof, light, flexible, heat
sealable, low cost, suitable
for freezing, variety of
weights, sizes, shapes,
thicknessess, can be printed
on, some may contaminate
food when heated in

6. Packaging and
the Environment
• Each home produces 1 ton
waste/year.
• 1/3 is packaging and ½ of this
is recyclable.
• 01/03/03 EU directive on
recycling packaging means
Ireland must recycle 50% by
2005
• Careless disposal leads to
litter, pollution and need for
more landfill sites
• Recycle =convert waste to
usable material.
• Plastic bag levy Mar.2002,
15cent

7. Packaging & Environment
• Metal: 3% domestic waste=33000tons, recycling saves
raw materials and energy. Recycling aluminium cans uses
only 5% of energy needed to make them from scratch.
• Glass: 7.5% domestic waste, reusable and recyclable,
numerous collection points, collected glass is crushed and
used as a substitute for raw materials, conserves energy,
raw materials and production cost
• Paper: environmentally friendly packaging, readily
recycled, recycling conserves trees (17 trees=1ton
paper),saves energy, reduces waste.
• Plastic: non-biodegradable, made from crude oil a non-
renewable resource, 120,000 tonnes waste plastic in
Ire. /yr, Not all recyclable, lack of recycling facilities in
Ire. PET can be recycled as fibre.

8. Consumer Responsibility
• Reuse and recycle
• Avoid excess packaging
• Buy loose fruit & veg.
• Compact waste before
putting in recycling bin
• Compost organic packaging
e.g. cardboard
• Buy products made from
recycled materials.

9. Food labelling - Functions
• Inform consumer about the nature of pre-packed
food
• Identify product
• Help sell product

10. Labelling
regulations
• EU legislation regarding
food labelling is
enforced by The Food
Safety Authority of
Ireland (FSAI)
• All labels must be:
• Unambiguous (clear)
• Legible
• Indelible
• Easy to see
• Written in English
• Not misleading

11. Essential information on pre-
packed food labels
• Name under which product is sold
• Ingredients in order of decending weight.
• %of certain ingredients e.g.beef in burgers
• Net quantity in metric (kg or litre)
• Use by date on perishables, best before date on non-
perishables.
• Instructions for storage and use if necessary
• Name and address of manufacturer, packager, or seller
in the EU
• Place of origin if absence might mislead
• Alcoholic strength if more than 1.2% alcohol by volume.
• Indicate if food has been irradiated, genetically
modified, have been packed in modified atmosphere

12. Labelling
• Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP): composition of gas
inside package is different to air. Gases like CO2, O2 and
N2 (inert) are used to stop microbes growing & prolong
shelf-life
• Medicinal claims of treating preventing or curing disease are
not allowed.
• Nutritional content must be stated per 100g or 100ml for
comparison
• If claims are made about a certain ingredient the % of that
ingredient must be stated e.g. low fat butter 39% fat.
• A claim of fortification must be true.
• Non-packaged food: display of following info must be
nearby, name, origin, class, variety, price per kilo
• Price Labelling: must be on food or shelf, pre-packed food
of varying weight must give unit price and pack price,