IMPORTANCE OF FOOD PACKAGING

FOOD PACKAGING

SPYRIDON E. PAPADAKIS Professor of Food Packaging Department of Food Technology TEI Of Athens

Definitions
From the British Institute of Packaging as a package (process) is defined: A coordinated system of preparing goods for transportation, distribution, storage, sale and use.
Under Law 2939/01 as packaging (medium) means “any product made of any kind of material and intended to be used for containing goods. Its aim is the protection, handling, distribution and presentation of goods from the producer to the user or the consumer.”

Food packaging: An integral part of everyday life of people. Its evolution follows the evolution of science and technology and shaped by the rise of living standards and changes in eating habits of people.

Importance of packaging
In underdeveloped countries, 30-50% of food production is destroyed at production sites and never reaches the consumer. This is due to the lack of appropriate media and packaging materials, the inability to import appropriate technology, the inadequacy of the road network and services.

Thanks and packaging, the corresponding figure in Europe is only 2-3%.
For the food industry in the USA packaging costs  15% (average) cost foodstuff being output from the plant (ex factory cost)