All Wrapped Up—A Look Inside Today’s Packaging Trends

Ovenable bags, like one type Allison Rittman, CRC, corporate research chef, Cryovac, recently worked on, make preparation a snap. “The beef was seasoned and enclosed in a pouch that went directly into the oven,” she says. “There were no worries about handling, cooking skills or cross contamination. As a bonus, there was much higher yield, because the pouch retained the moisture.”

Quality can come in the form of processing-friendly packaging. Shelf-stable retort pouches are only briefly exposed to extreme retort temperatures. Other types of pouches are compatible with post-packaging heat processing and ultra-high-pressure (UHP) pasteurization. UHP inactivates microbes without affecting the flavor, texture, color or nutritional value of the food. Kuecker points out that such a product carries a clean label, because the UHP processing in the pouch makes preservatives unnecessary.

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

It is a misconception that “green” packaging costs more than conventional packaging, notes Dennis Salazar, president, Salazar Packaging, Plainfield, IL. “Sustainable packaging is, for the most part, a cost-reduction effort,” he says. Reducing the amount and weight of packaging positively affects the costs of freight, palletizing and labor, not to mention lessening the carbon footprint.

Researchers are working with multilayered packaging materials made from bioplastics, synthetic polymers derived from renewable sources such as corn, potatoes and microbes. “When you take two biomaterials and laminate them together, you add functionality. For example,” explains Whiteside, “one layer provides a moisture barrier, another an oxygen barrier.”