The Importance of Health and Safety in Food Packaging

Prior to the pandemic, the food and beverage industry already had strict standards in place to ensure the quality of products was safe for people to consume. Now, as we start to enter a post-pandemic world, those regulations have come to the forefront of peoples’ minds, and packaging plays a critical role in ensuring food safety.

Packaging goes through the entire lifecycle of a product, including shipping, material handling and storage of the packaged food. If food packaging integrity is not well maintained and tested, food safety can compromise the health of a consumer. Packaging protects the food from external elements, contamination, heat, physical damage, and much more. Thus, proper packaging keeps your food products as safe as possible.

Preserves Freshness

Fresh food is one of the most important qualities to consumers when they’re buying products at the store. It’s imperative for brands to get food from where it is produced to where it is sold as quickly as possible while maintaining a high quality. In our world, food products can be grown anywhere, shipped across the country to be packaged and then sent to another part of the country where it is sold to consumers. This is made possible by the supply chain and the packaging technology that enables products to remain fresh for longer periods of time.

By properly packaging goods, a consumer at the end of the supply chain can feel as though they are eating freshly obtained fruits, vegetables or processed goods.

Prevents Contamination

Foodborne pathogens are a big concern in the industry. There are measures in place to prevent outbreaks from happening, and when one does occur, it is traced back to the source. Companies work diligently to prevent contamination throughout the entire production cycle to minimize risk, which can result in hefty fines if a foodborne illness outbreak happens.

It can also be easy for a product to become contaminated. Even locally grown and distributed food is at risk of contamination from bacteria during a short period of time, and that risk increases as the storage life rises. Packaging that effectively locks out air and outside contaminants can mean the difference between happy, healthy customers and customers who fall ill. Contamination is a potentially deadly problem and can destroy a brand’s reputation.

Physical damage

Food is moved a lot before it is ultimately consumed. From the farm to the warehouse and from stores to consumers’ homes, there are a lot of opportunities for a product to be damaged. Sturdy packaging is crucial to protecting products. Certain types of packaging can also include padding and other buffers to absorb the shock of transit. When products are damaged, it lessens the likelihood that it will be consumed, and it might even expose the product – opening it up for possible contamination.

Boost Brand Perception

While consumer safety is the priority, companies also think about protecting their image. By having safe and secure packaging, it shows consumers that the brand takes health and safety very seriously. Packaging is one of the first things consumers notice, so it’s important to make a good first impression by having a safe product.

How the EEASY Lid Helps

At CCT, we value the importance of consumer health and safety. We even built it into our product. All variations of our EEASY Lids feature a tamper-proof mechanism that tells consumers when a product has been opened. No one wants to buy an already opened product from a store, especially when they don’t know if the product has been compromised. That’s why it’s valuable for brands to invest in packaging that provides consumers with peace of mind when they know they’re buying a safe product.