Food waste has become a serious worldwide issue at present. Inadequate packaging and storage methods are significantly responsible for the same, as they lead to spoilage while lowering the product quality and profitability. So, manufacturers and distributors want to increase the products’ shelf life without extra cost. There are many expensive preservation technologies to reach this goal but then come cost-free packaging practices. This is all about optimising design and utilising natural preservatives, which can improve sealing techniques and storage conditions.
So in this article, we will understand the shelf life and will learn relevant cost-free packaging practices. Plus, its benefits and use cases will also be a part of our discussion.
Understanding Shelf Life
Shelf life refers to how long a food product can stay fresh. In other words, until when it is safe to consume. These are some factors that impact a product’s shelf life:
- Bacteria, yeast, and moulds.
- Temperature, humidity, and light exposure
- Oxidation and enzymatic reactions.
A Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA) study showcases nearly 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste on a yearly basis. Now, we will explore some cost-free packaging practices.
Cost-Free Packaging Practices
1. Optimize Packaging Design
A food product’s shelf life heavily depends on how the package is designed. Design is not only about what the overall package looks like, as it also affects the quality.
For that, brands should consider size appropriateness. If used properly, it can minimise air exposure. So, less air, slower the oxidation—as simple as that. More than that, using opaque kinds of materials to create adequate barriers against moisture, oxygen, and light will help avoid degradation.
Vacuum packaging is one of the best examples of the same because it can remove air from the package. It is best suited for small businesses due to its inexpensiveness or even manual methods for smaller batches.
2. Use Natural Preservatives
Natural preservatives can be a good option as they can help save a huge cost on packaging while improving shelf life.
For that, rosemary and clove-like essential oils are a good choice. Their antimicrobial properties can inhibit spoilage. Vinegar is another great natural preservative that is famous for its acidity. This creates an unfavourable environment that can make microbial growth very hard.
So, these are some relevant and practical solutions businesses can apply to their packaging when it comes to natural preservatives.
3. Implement Proper Storage Conditions
In this case, companies have to be serious about how their staff are working to make the storage condition optimal. They should teach the ways one should consider while storing a product.
Temperature control and humidity management are two crucial factors one cannot overlook. Keeping a suitable temperature helps avoid spoilage. Meanwhile, measuring the humidity level will give an idea of moisture. So, one can use a suitable packaging method.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study shows how maintaining proper storage conditions can help some products live longer by up to 50%.
4. Enhance Sealing Techniques
Proper sealing does its job perfectly when it comes to preventing contamination and preserving freshness. Heat sealing is one of the best ways to do that. It helps create an airtight seal so that moisture cannot enter the package.
More than that, companies’ staff should inspect seals manually too. This will help identify any packaging-related error, which can be fixed at an early stage. This overall application can make consumers confident while buying products.
5. Educate Consumers on Usage
While companies make so much effort on sustainable packaging, they should also make an extra effort to educate their consumers on how to store the product after it is opened. Moreover, making them aware of expiration dates and best buy dates is crucial. This will help reduce unnecessary waste.
The Food Marketing Institute survey shows the lack of label understanding among consumers. Around 60% of them discard food without knowing what the date means on the label.
6. Utilize Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)
The term modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is all about creating or modifying the package’s internal atmosphere according to the product’s specific requirement of extending shelf life. These methods require proper equipment, but there are some cost-effective ways under the same umbrella—help companies with less funds.
Reducing oxygen levels is one of the ways. This includes vacuum sealing techniques or even squeezing out excess air from bags. More than that, nitrogen can be used to replace the oxygen inside the package.
7. Innovate with Sustainable Materials
Sustainability often comes with a cost, but not always, as many sustainable materials are now available at little or no extra expense if we compare them to prior traditional options. For example, there are recycled materials like paper or even plastic. These materials help reduce waste more as compared to their cost.
There are biodegradable options as well that come with competitive pricing. This also satisfies the environmental concerns of eco-conscious consumers.
How Cost-Free Packaging Practices Benefits?
These are some main benefits cost-free packaging practices offer:
- If a product’s shelf life is extended, it will not be wasted as usual—also good for the environment.
- Spoilt products can reduce profitability, which can be controlled by good packaging.
- Consumers can also be satisfied by high-quality products with longer shelf lives.
- Good packaging will also improve companies’ reputation among the masses.
Use Cases
Use case 1:
Local bakeries, like those producing biscuits or breads, can leverage natural preservatives. So, they should simply include natural preservatives in their recipes, like vinegar, while also modifying the current packaging designs and methods. This approach can really help them extend their product’s shelf life.
Use case 2:
When it comes to optimising storage conditions, it can help manufacturers avoid spoilage in distribution centres. They mainly have to focus on educating their staff on optimal temperature and humidity control measures. This will help them extend product freshness.
Conclusion
A food product’s shelf life highly depends on how they are packaged. This is why we tried to highlight why cost-free packaging practices are important. Applying these practices in companies’ operations will help them lessen wastage while maximising profitability. In short, natural preservatives, proper storage, sealing techniques, and quality assessments, along with the right education and awareness, are all a company needs to improve their product longevity without incurring additional costs.
These practices are now mandatory due to global awareness of sustainability and eco-concerns. Eventually, we hope this guide helped and will help business operations positively.
