Food packaging and labelling
Packaging contains, protects and informs; each material (glass, metal, paper, plastic) has its own merits. Labels must give name, ingredients, nutrition facts, dates and FSSAI details.
Functions and types of packaging
- Functions: contain the food; protect it from moisture, air, light, microbes, insects and knocks; preserve it (longer shelf life); inform through the label; add convenience (portion size, easy opening, microwavable); show tampering; help marketing.
- Primary packs touch the food (bottle, can, pouch, sachet); secondary packs group primary packs (a carton of 12 bottles); tertiary packs are for transport (corrugated boxes on pallets).
- Rigid (glass bottles, cans, jars), semi-rigid (cartons, plastic trays) and flexible (films, pouches, foil) packs.
Packaging materials: advantages and disadvantages
| Material | Uses | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass | Jam, pickle, squash and ketchup bottles; baby-food jars | Inert, transparent, good barrier, reusable, recyclable, can be heat-processed | Heavy, breakable, lets light in (amber glass helps), costly to transport |
| Metal: tin plate, aluminium | Cans for fruit, vegetables, fish; aluminium cans and foil | Strong; full barrier to light, air and moisture; can be sterilised | Corrosion (needs lacquer), heavy (tin plate), costly, food not visible, not microwavable |
| Paper and paperboard | Bags, cartons, corrugated boxes, wrappers | Cheap, light, printable, biodegradable | Weak when wet; poor barrier unless coated or laminated |
| Plastics: LDPE, HDPE, PP, PET, polystyrene | Milk sachets, bread bags (LDPE); oil cans, crates (HDPE); snack film, tubs (PP); water and oil bottles (PET); cups and trays (polystyrene) | Light, cheap, flexible, tough, heat-sealable, any shape | Some let gases through; chemicals may migrate into food; some not heat-proof; pollution, poor biodegradability |
| Laminates and multilayer packs | Tetra Pak cartons (paperboard, polyethylene, aluminium); retort pouches for ready-to-eat curries; metallised chips packets | Combine the best barrier properties; light | Hard to recycle; costly |
| Traditional and biodegradable | Banana and areca-leaf plates, jute bags, clay pots; starch-based and PLA films; edible wax coating on fruit | Eco-friendly, cheap, local | Poor barrier; short life |
Newer packaging methods
- Vacuum packaging: air removed (paneer, cheese, meat).
- Modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP): air replaced with nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide (chips, bakery, fresh meat, cut vegetables).
- Aseptic packaging: sterile food into sterile packs (UHT milk, juices).
- Active packaging: the pack acts on the food: oxygen absorbers (iron-powder sachets), moisture absorbers (silica gel), ethylene absorbers for fruit, antimicrobial films.
- Intelligent (smart) packaging: the pack reports on the food: time-temperature indicators, freshness indicators.
- Retort pouches: flexible laminates sterilised like cans; light and quick to heat.
Food labelling: types and what must appear
- Types of labels (textbook grouping): brand label (brand name or logo only); grade label (quality grade, e.g. an Agmark grade); descriptive label (how to use and care for the product); informative label (detailed facts on contents, nutrition, storage and use).
- Under the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, a pre-packed food must show: name of the food; ingredients in descending order of weight; nutritional information; veg or non-veg symbol; food additives by class and name or INS number; name and address of the manufacturer or packer (and importer); FSSAI logo and licence or registration number; net quantity; lot or batch number; date of manufacture or packing and 'use by' or expiry date ('best before' may be added); country of origin for imports; instructions for use where needed; allergens.
- Nutritional information per 100 g or 100 ml (and per serving): energy (kcal), protein, carbohydrate with total and added sugars, total fat with saturated and trans fat, cholesterol and sodium, plus any nutrient for which a claim is made.
- Special marks: the Radura for irradiated food; warnings such as 'contains caffeine'.
Worked example: reading a nutrition information panel
A biscuit label gives, per 100 g: protein 7 g, carbohydrate 70 g (of which total sugars 25 g), total fat 18 g. One serving is 25 g. Find the energy per 100 g and per serving, using 4, 4 and 9 kcal per gram.
- Energy from protein = 7 × 4 = 28 kcal.
- Energy from carbohydrate = 70 × 4 = 280 kcal.
- Energy from fat = 18 × 9 = 162 kcal.
- Total per 100 g = 28 + 280 + 162 = 470 kcal.
- Per 25 g serving = 470 × 25 ÷ 100 = 117.5 kcal, about 118 kcal.
- Share of energy from fat = 162 ÷ 470 × 100 = 34.5%; from sugars = 25 × 4 ÷ 470 × 100 = 21.3% (both to one decimal).
About 470 kcal per 100 g and about 118 kcal per 25 g serving; roughly one-third of the energy comes from fat and one-fifth from sugars.
A dietitian teaches patients to read labels: compare sodium for hypertension, total and added sugars for diabetes, saturated and trans fat for heart disease, and check allergens. The right pack (airtight, light-proof) also protects vitamins and oils in hospital stores.
2 marks: “What is active packaging? Give an example.” Packaging that acts on the food or the air around it to extend shelf life, e.g. an iron-powder oxygen-absorber sachet in a pack of dry fruits.
5 marks: “What information must appear on the label of a pre-packed food?” Name, ingredients, nutrition information, veg/non-veg mark, additives, manufacturer details, FSSAI logo and licence number, net quantity, batch, dates, origin, instructions, allergens.
10 marks: “Discuss the different packaging materials used for foods with their advantages and disadvantages.” Functions and levels of packaging; glass, metal, paper, plastics, laminates and biodegradable materials in a table; newer methods (vacuum, MAP, aseptic, active, intelligent); environmental concerns.
Pack jobs = 4 Ps: Protect, Preserve, Provide information, make it Portable. Label musts: Name, Ingredients, Nutrition, Dates, FSSAI.