Food Packaging, Storage and Transportation
Functions and materials
Packaging contains, protects, preserves, informs and sells. The exam tests material choice, barrier properties, labelling law and the storage and transport chain.
- Glass is inert, transparent and impermeable but heavy and breakable.
- Metal cans and tins give strong barriers and retortability; internal lacquers prevent corrosion.
- Plastics range from low-barrier PE to high-barrier EVOH and metallised films; laminates combine strength, printability and barrier.
- Paper and board are printable and renewable but need barriers for moisture and fat.
- Vacuum packaging removes oxygen; modified atmosphere packaging replaces it with CO2 and N2; aseptic packaging fills sterile product into sterile packs.
- Storage: warehouses, silos, cold stores, controlled atmosphere stores; transport: insulated vans, reefers, refrigerated containers.
- Labels must carry the product name, ingredients, net quantity, nutrition information, FSSAI licence number, batch, date marking and storage instructions as applicable.
Worked example
Choose a pack for potato chips. The product is fragile, light-sensitive and prone to fat oxidation and moisture pickup. A metallised laminate with a high moisture and oxygen barrier, nitrogen flushing and a rigid carton for protection meets the need. Reasoning: moisture control protects crispness, oxygen and light control limit rancidity, and cushioning prevents breakage. A clear low-density polyethylene bag would fail on all three counts.
Traps
MAP is not a substitute for temperature control. Date marking: use-by is a safety date; best-before is a quality date. Do not claim packaging can make a spoiled product safe. Cold-chain breaks at loading bays and display cabinets are common causes of failure.